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JWeinCom on 02 April 2023
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PAOerfulone said:
JWeinCom said:

I thought Sami and KO vs the Usos should main event over Rhea and Charlotte, but I have some doubts right now. Charlotte vs Rhea was absolutely excellent. Great example of building the tension throughout the match to the point where those nearfalls actually meant something. Sami, Kev, and the Usos have a tough act to follow.

Edit: Really fun main event. As good as it gets for the sports entertainment style. In retrospect, I'm not sure if this should have been the main event or Rhea vs Charlotte. But that's just because they were both great matches, so that's not a terrible problem to have.

Overall, very good event. Pretty much every match on the card either met (Theory Cena/Owens Sami/Usos, Logan Seth) or exceeded (Rhea Charlotte, men's four way) expectations. Only thing I didn't really like was the six way women's match. Hate to say it, but Lita just doesn't "have it" anymore. And considering how few women's heels they have, didn't seem wise to make Damage Control more of chumps.

But everything else was good, so can't complain too much. It was a night of predictable finishes, but since this should be the end for most of these feud, sometimes the story just has to end in the obvious satisfying way. Think everyone knew that Frodo would *spoiler for Lord of the Rings I guess* destroy the ring, but the journey was still fun. 

They could have probably shaved off a half hour though. Promo packages are one thing, but promo packages for next night's matches? You've gone too far E.

As great as Rhea/Charlotte was, KO-Sami/Usos had EVERYTHING behind it and the people cared so much about it to where I had no doubt in my mind they could follow it. I don't think Rhea and Charlotte could have followed the Tag match if it had been the other way around. That's the difference. I still firmly believe that Sami-KO and the Usos being in the Main Event was the right call. And ultimately, I think the fact that they WEREN'T the main event actually HELPED Charlotte and Rhea. It was easy to tell early on just by looking at them that they were PISSED OFF that they weren't the main event. Much like Batista and Undertaker were pissed off that THEY weren't the main event at WrestleMania 23 over Cena and HBK. And just like with those two, Charlotte and Rhea went into this match w/ a chip on their shoulder to try to steal the show and the match was better for it!

Only match of the night that disappointed for me was Cena/Theory. The match wasn't really all that exciting. It never hit that gear and by the time it was about to, it was over. And it ends in a cheap finish. A low blow, cheap-heat finish after he tapped out to the STF? That was a little too "Super Cena" for my liking. Other than that, this was an outstanding Night 1 and I have every faith that Night 2 can top it.

The tag match definitely had the better build, but I still kind of think Charlotte vs Rhea was the better overall match. Although you do have a point that the crowd might have just been a little worn out if the tag match were first. Especially since Charlotte and Rhea did start off a bit slow. And all of the people involved, especially Sami, really helped carry the WWE over the last year. Either way, silver and gold. They were two really fantastic matches, so I'm not going to fret too much about which was the official main event. Hopefully Rhea and Charlotte are just proud of what they did and won't fret about it either.

A few people also didn't like the Theory Cena finish, but I thought it was good. Theory tapped out, but I think the point was that he knew the ref was down and wouldn't count it. It was a clever way to get out of the hold. The whole point of the build was that he wasn't "ready" but in the end, he outsmarted his far more experienced opponent. And since Theory is a heel, I'm fine with him winning off the low blow. I agree with the match not really getting into third gear, but I liked the finish.

I guess I would also have to say that Macafee vs the Miz wasn't a great match, but it served its purpose. I think it was smart to space out the women's title and tag title matches, and this was a reasonably fun way to do that. 

Night 2 will be interesting. I don't think the builds for these matches have been as great, aside from Rhodes/Reigns, but they all (well mostly) involve super talented people that can easily exceed expectations. Hoping Asuka and Bianca can have a show stealing match. 

Jumpin said:

I just finished.
Those last three matches were top tier. Mysterio vs Mysterio, Charlotte vs Rhea, and Sammy/KO vs Usos alone were better than most Wrestlemanias I can remember ever watching. And there’s a whole other day of it, and I haven’t even watched the NXT night yet. I skipped a few of the matches (the Miz one, the fatal four way tag match, and the Jake Paul one), but will probably watch them at a later date.

I expected the women’s tag match to be a bit of a dud considering Trish and Lita even if they’re still good at what they do; although Lita doesn’t do the top/mid rope leaping hurricanrana anymore, which used to be one of the only two moves she did in the Essa Rios days. But Shirai and Kai are on a different level, and I’m fairly sure they toned it down for those two.

I think Rhea could have sold the leg pain when she failed to lift Charlotte after the roll up, but the other botch was Charlotte’s face plant (which didn’t hurt the match at all), otherwise that one was my favourite match of the night.

Asuka vs Belair is my prediction for my favourite match of the night tomorrow with Edge vs Balor being runner up. Note: I could be surprised as aI haven’t watched WWE in a few years.

I hate to say it, but I kind of feel like Lita and Stratus just weren't as good as we remember. I think they really stood out in an era where women were not treated as a serious attraction at all, and they did sooooo much to change the division for the better. People wanted to see them simply because they were hot as hell (and still are), and then they were good enough to get people invested in them as wrestlers, especially in that era.

That being said, I think even in their primes, they weren't on the same level as Damage Control and Becky. And especially now that they're a bit older, I just don't think it worked. I really think they probably just should have either used Trish or Lita in this storyline, and had another current girl on Becky's side. If Tegan Nox is healthy, she would have been a good fit. 

I really hope Asuka and Bianca is match of the night, but I think the build for that has been so weak that they have a lot to overcome. Rhodes and Reigns have the opposite problem where I think people are expecting a lot and we'll see if they can deliver.

Last edited by JWeinCom - on 02 April 2023