This is one of my favourite Wrestlemanias of all time. The Paul Levesque era (or whatever they decide to call it, Atti-two-de era?...... Just kidding!) is off to a strong start, and this is just the beginning. They're already shedding the PG stuff. When Netflix hits, there will be no more of blanking out audio.
But damn, that show was something. And while the midcard matches weren't to the same level as the others, they also were noticeably much shorter, all of the others were at least 50% longer and had fewer people to work with (Usos aside), so better opportunities to build stories. While the Usos match should have and could have been better, I still thought it was pretty good for its 10 or so minutes. I thought Jade Cargill, Naomi, and Bianca vs Damage CTRL was decent as well, but you could tell the cold was getting to Jade, but Naomi seemed untouched by it - I think this match was as good as it could have been given it was like 5-6 minutes - Asuka still has great presence, but I'd like to see her return to singles - that's where she really thrives. Also, Truth got one of the biggest pops of the entire night when he grabbed the tag belts.
Sami Zayn vs Walter was a great match. Walter will undoubtedly be one of the World title pictures very soon. I think Sami will be another great IC champ, and hopefully reigns for the rest of the year, until Royal Rumble at least. A world title is in Sami's future. Any way, Sami Zayn vs Walter was NXT Golden era great as a match, the guy knows how to put on a show.
CM Punk's surprise was not that surprising, I had a feeling he was going to get involved somehow, and also that the money in the bank was happening, likely in relation to this match. I didn't know which one Punk would take out, but it was one or the other. Anyway, this new title might lead to the end of the Judgment Day - jealousy is the main reason heel stables fall apart :D
Either that, Or the stable goes babyface in the coming months.
This Wrestlemania did something different than others, it carried story threads through the event. I really enjoyed it, seeing what happened, and how those stories would continue, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of that, tonight.
Here are some bits:
Punk echoes Roddy Piper:
And he thanks Triple H for believing in him: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZBPYx5gIkrs
It seems everyone really liked Triple H, this is a very different sort of feeling than the Vince McMahon era.
The Rock cuts a promo on AJ Styles
R-Truth and Biz backstage:
This is his first Wrestlemania moment? Aside from The Rock, R Truth is the last standing guy in WWE from The Attitude Era.
Mysterio is the next earliest, but he came in just a few months after the end of the era, July 2002. Miz is close to his 20 year anniversary, he's been there since Tough Enough 2004.
Last edited by Jumpin - on 08 April 2024I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
