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Diot’s WWE WrestleMania 32 Review

April 4, 2016 | Posted by Dylan Diot
Undertaker Image Credit: WWE
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Diot’s WWE WrestleMania 32 Review  

WWE WrestleMania XXXII
4-3-16
Dallas, TX

Your hosts are Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton.

Pre Show

WWE United States Championship- Kalisto © vs. Ryback
Ryback tosses Kalisto down to stat and Kalisto fires back. Ryback dumps Kalisto to the floor and back in, Ryback trucks him. Second rope bulldog by Kalisto gets 2 and the kick out knocks him to the floor. Ryback follows out so Kalisto catches him with a baseball slide. Meteora off the apron by Kalisto but Ryback tosses him across the floor to come back. Ryback rams him into the post and he tosses him around ringside. Ryback presses Kalisto back into the ring and he presses Kalisto down to the mat again as we go to break.
Back and Kalisto throws some kicks to the leg of Ryback but Ryback cuts him off with a back elbow for 2. Ryback chokes Kalisto and Kalisto throws more kicks. Tilt-a-whirl Michinoku Driver by Ryback gets 2!!! Enzuigiri from the apron by Kalisto and he goes up. Ryback stops him and follows up. He goes for the delayed superplex but Kalisto blocks for 2!!! Meat Hook by Ryback and Kalisto comes back with a Tornado DDT. Snap hurricanrana by Kalisto gets 2. Kicks to the chest by Kalisto and he hits a springboard corkscrew shoulder block for 2. Ryback catches Kalisto with a spine buster and Kalisto rips off the top turnbuckle. He drop toe holds Ryback into the exposed corner and hits Solida Del Sol for 3!!!
Winner and Still WWE United States Champion- Kalisto *** (Fun way to kick things off. The David/Goliath dynamic worked to a charm here, with Ryback looking great being the bully chucking Kalisto around like he was nothing. Kalisto using some trickery to beat Ryback was the right call for the finish and I’m down for this program going on a little longer. )

Brie Bella, Natalya, Paige, Alicia Fox, and Eva Marie vs. B.A.D and Blonde (Naomi, Tamina, Lana, Summer Rae, and Emma)
Fox and Summer start. DDT by Summer and Fox comes back with a dropkick. Tilt-a-whirl back breaker by Fox gets 2. All the Diva’s come in and the ref tries to separate them as we go to break.
Back and Eva Marie is getting booed. Tilt-a-whirl head scissors by Eva and she hits a suplex on Emma. Suplex by Eva and she tags Natalya in even though Paige wanted the tag. Naomi tags in and she throws rapid kicks into a dropkick on Natalya. Slingshot atomic drop by Natalya and she hits a basement dropkick for 2. Tag to Paige and they hit the Hart Attack on Naomi. Shining Wizard by Paige and she hits a corner knee strike. Inverted mule kick by Naomi and she charges but misses and crashes HARD into the ropes. Tag to Emma and she hits a wheelbarrow suplex on Paige for 2. Emma stands on Paige’s hair and Lane tags in. Bicycle high kick by Lana and she mocks Brie. Tag to Tamina and she covers for 2. Suplex by Tamina gets 2. Neck crank but Paige fights out. Tamina puts Paige on top and follows up. Naomi joins in but Natalya saves. Paige dumps Team B.A.D to the floor and she dives onto everyone!!! Tamina prevents the tag and Emma tags in. Paige hits the roll-up driving Emma into the corner and Brie tags in. She cleans house and she hits some kicks to the chest of Naomi. X-Factor by Brie gets 2 as Lana saves. Everyone trades moves and Brie catches Naomi with a hard forearm. Leg lariat by Naomi and she goes for the split legged moonsault but it eats knees. Brie goes up but Lana shoves her off the top, causing her to land neck first on the ropes. Brie catches Naomi in the Yes! Lock and Naomi taps!!! Nikki Bella comes out and celebrates with the Diva’s and they hoist Brie up in victory.
Winners- Brie Bella, Natalya, Paige, Alicia Fox, and Eva Marie **1/4 ( First off, I’m happy they actually got to have a real match rather than the typical three minute finisher parade they would normally get. That being said, this had it’s up and downs, it dragged a lot but for the most part it was inoffensive. Paige working the heat segment was a smart call and even the likes of Summer, Lana, and Eva Marie weren’t as terrible as they were expected to be. Nothing special but it was a nice sendoff for Brie if this was officially it for her.)

Lita comes out and talks about the women that have led the way for the rise of the Diva’s division. She talks about Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch leading the Diva’s revolution and announces the winner of tonight’s match will become the WWE Women’s Champion. She unveils the new belt, which is a white leather, Red and Gold version of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It’s a cool looking belt and I’m glad they’re going to move away from the Diva’s label.

The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) vs. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)
Both teams brawl to start and they hit a double flap jack on Jimmy. Back elbow by D-Von gets 1. Neck crank by D-Von and he catches Jimmy with a lariat for 2. Tag to Bubba and he hammers away on Jimmy while mocking his father Rikishi. Bubba works over Jimmy and he continues to talk trash. Jimmy catches Bubba with a super kick. Tag to Jey and he catches D-Von with a Samoan Drop. Power slam by Bubba and it’s time for WHAT’S UP~!!! The Usos catch the Dudleys with stereo super kicks and Jey goes up. Flying splash eats knees and they hit the neck breaker/back suplex combo for 2. Jey super kicks Bubba and Jimmy super kicks D-Von for 3. The Dudley Boyz attack after the match and they bust out some tables. The Usos fight back and put the Dudley Boyz on the tables. Stereo splashes through the tables!!! Winners- The Usos ** ( Fine little sprint, not much to it. I’m on the board with people wanting Bubba to go solo and have a Bully Ray style run, as he’s the best in ring trash talker and heel outside of Kevin Owens in the promotion. )

Main Show

Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship- Kevin Owens © vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. Sami Zayn vs. Stardust vs. Sin Cara vs. Zack Ryder
Everyone brawls on the floor and Owens just poses in the ring. Zayn and Owens slug it out and Ziggler nails Zayn in the back with a ladder. Sin Cara hits a missile dropkick driving a ladder into Owens. Stardust slams Sin Cara on a ladder and Ryder hits a neck breaker onto the ladder. Miz climbs but gets tipped over, causing him to crash to the mat. Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn to Ziggler and Owens backdrops Zayn onto the ladder!!! Rough Ryder to Owens and Zack climbs. Ziggler follows up and Stardust shoves the ladder over, sending them crashing onto the ropes. Stardust climbs but Sin Cara tips the ladder over to bring him down. He clotheslines Stardust to the floor and HE HITS A SUMMERSAULT PLANCHA THROUGH THE LADDER!!!! THROUGH THE TURNBUCKLES TORNADO DDT ONTO OWENS!!!!! Zayn climbs but Sin Cara stops him. He climbs but Zayn tips the ladder over and SIN CARA SPRINGBOARDS INTO A SUMMERSAULT PLANCHA ON THE FLOOR!!!! Zigger super kicks Zayn and he goes super kick crazy. Ziggler presses Ryder onto the ladder and hits another super kick. Ziggler climbs but Owens brings him down. They super kick each other and STARDUST BUSTS OUT THE POLKA DOT LADDER!!!!! He performs the Terry Funk spot but Miz ends that with Skull Crushing Finale onto the ladder. Fisherman’s back breaker by Owens and he gets rid of the polka dot ladder. Zayn fires away on Owens but Owens knocks him onto a ladder. Owens goes up and hits a Frog Splash onto Zayn on the ladder!!!! Pop Up Power Bomb to Miz and Ryder climbs a ladder in the corner. Flying Elbrow off the ladder onto Miz!!!! Ryder climbs but Ziggler follows up. Ziggler throws some head butts and he takes Ryder off with a faceplant!!! Ziggler climbs but Owens pulls him down into the power bomb!!! Queen’s Crossbow by Stardust to Owens and Sin Cara hits an enzuigiri knocking Stardust onto a ladder bridge. Sin Cara climbs but Zayn follows. Sin Cara fights him off but OWNES TIPS THE LADDER CAUSING SIN CARA TO SPLASH STARDUST THROUGHT THE LADDER!!!! Owens climbs but Zayn follows up. They slug it out and Owens rakes the face of Zayn to bring him down. Zayn pulls Owens down and hits a Half and Half suplex onto the ladder!!!! Zayn climbs but Miz tips the ladder over, bringing him down. Miz climbs and he takes the time to pose alone but ZACH RYDER SHOVES MIZ OFF THE LADDER!!!!! HE GRABS THE BELT!!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! Zack’s father comes in and embraces with his son. That was awesome.
Winner and NEW WWE Intercontinental Champion- Zack Ryder ****1/4 ( No one saw that coming, and that was one hell of a moment. Good for Zack. This match ruled, it top last year’s ladder match. The Zayn/Owens exchanges were incredible, the spots were amazing and few were contrived, I loved the Dusty tribute, and that final stretch was so well done. Bravo to all involved and the rest of the card has a tough act to follow. )

Video package for Styles/Jericho airs.

Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles
Jericho overpowers Styles and Styles hits a hurricanrana from his back. He clotheslines Jericho to the floor and back in, Styles hits some arm drags. Chops by Jericho and Styles catches Jericho with a springboard Pele knocking Jericho to the floor!!! Styles goes for a slingshot pescado but Jericho dropkicks him on the way down!!! Neck breaker in the ropes by Jericho and back in, Jericho hits a back elbow off the top for 1. Delayed suplex by Jericho gets 1. Chin lock by Jericho but Styles fights out so Jericho catches him in the Dragon Sleeper. Styles fights out and Styles throws a series of strikes followed by a discus clothesline. Basement forearm by Styles and he catches Jericho with a dropkick. Jericho rolls Styles into the Walls of Jericho but Styles makes the ropes to break. Sloppy springboard reverse DDT by Styles gets 2. Styles blocks the bulldog causing Jericho to get crotched in the corner. Styles goes up but Jericho follows. Gordbuster off the top by Styles and both men are down. Styles rolls Jericho up for 2 and he goes for the Pele but Jericho blocks and goes back to the Walls of Jericho!!! Styles fights out of it and he catches Jericho in the Calf Crusher. Jericho counters into a roll-up for 2 to break and Styles throws some strikes. Styles blocks the hurricanrana and Jericho blocks the Styles’ Clash. Styles goes for the Phenomenal Forearm but Jericho moves. Code Breaker by Jericho gets 2!!! Jericho goes for the Styles’ Clash but Styles blocks and he hits the wheelbarrow gord buster for 2. They trade counters and Styles hits the Styles’ Clash for 2!!! Forearms by Styles and he goes for the basement forearm but eats boot. Lionsault eats knees and Styles hits the springboard 450 splash for 2!!! Brainbuster by Styles and he gets the crowd pumped up. Styles goes for the Phenomenal Forearm but Jericho counters into the Codebreaker for 3!!!
Winner- Chris Jericho ***1/2 (They pulled out a really good match by sheer force of willpower but I give up on the idea of these two being able to put on a classic together. Much like the Fastlane match, a lot of their ideas seemed good in theory but it didn’t look good in execution. Jericho just can’t match the pace of Styles so some of the counter sequences in this match looked sluggish. The final stretch was hot and finally got the crowd awake, so they were able to come through a tough spot following the ladder match despite the issues they had throughout the contest. )

Zack Ryder says this is the best moment of his life and says he finally lived his dream tonight.

The New Day (Big E., Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) vs. League of Nations (Sheamus, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio) w/King Barrett
Awesome entrance #1: New Day come out of a box of Booty O’s in Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z war gear. Sheamus and Kofi start. Flying forearm by Kofi and it’s the UNICORN PARADE~!!! Tag to Woods and Sheamus hits a knee to the midsection. Power slam by Sheamus and Rusev tags in. He stomps away and hits an elbow drop for 2. Tag to Del Rio and he hits a DDT for 2. Chin lock by Del Rio but Woods fights out. Rolling elbow by Woods and Del Rio hits a tilt-a-whirl back breaker. Corner enzuigiri by Del Rio and Sheamus tags in. Sheamus with the Irish Clubs in the tune of the New Day Sucks chant. Rolling senton by Sheamus and Rusev tags in. Summersault senton by Rusev and he works over Woods in the corner. Tag to Del Rio and he hits some punches in the corner. Woods backdrops Del Rio to the floor and the League of Nation attack New Day before Woods could make a tag. Woods catches Sheamus with a DDT and Kofi tags in. Kofi cleans house and hits standing double stomps on Sheamus and Rusev. Double Boom Drop by Kofi and Sheamus blocks Trouble in Paradise. Rusev hits a high kick on Kofi and Sheamus covers for 2 as Woods saves. Big E tags in and he hits an overhead belly to belly on Sheamus. He dumps Rusev to the apron and Big E HITS A DOUBLE SUICIDE SPEAR AND HE LANDS ON HIS HEAD ON THE FLOOR!!!! Tag to Woods and he goes up. Back breaker/double stomp combo on Sheamus gets 2. Backstabber to Woods by Del Rio and Kofi dumps him to the floor. Del Rio catches Kofi with the double stomp on the apron!!! Woods goes up for a slingshot leg drop but Rusev takes the move for Sheamus. O’Connor roll to Sheamus gets 2 and Barrett hits the Bullhammer, allowing Sheamus to follow up with the Brogue Kick for 3.
Winners- League of Nations **1/2 ( Match was a mess and again, the crowd did not seem to be into the match as much as they were for the pre match and eventual post match stuff. The action was fine but the final stretch was all over the place and the League of Nation heat segment was death. It didn’t help build the New Day up as big baby face stars like it was supposed to.)

After the match, King Barrett claims there are no three men that can go toe to toe with them. Shawn Michaels comes out!!! Cactus Jack!!!! STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN!!!!! The New Day pull Barrett to the floor allowing the legends to go after the rest of the League of Nations. Mandible Claw to Sheamus!!!! Sweet Chin Music to Del Rio!!!! Stunner to Rusev!!! New Day throws Barrett in and he eats all three moves. New Day wants the legends to dance with them and Austin is the last one who hasn’t yet. Austin starts dancing but then lays out Woods with a Stunner!!! Time for beer!!!

Video package for Lesnar/Ambrose airs.

Street Fight- Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. Dean Ambrose
Shoulders to the gut by Lesnar and we get German suplex #1. #2. #3 and Ambrose bails. Ambrose fires away with a kendo stick and but Lesnar fires back with knees. Two rolling German suplexes by Lesnar and we are at 5. Release German suplex brings us to 6. Release suplex by Lesnar for #7. Ambrose goes for the kendo stick but Lesnar steps on it, driving it into Ambrose’s hand. German suplex as we are already at #8. Ambrose slaps Lesnar and he throws some forearms. Release German suplex for #9. Lesnar offers Ambrose the kendo stick and HE GOES LOW ON LESNAR!!! Ambrose drills Lesnar with the kendo stick and Lesnar bails!!! Suicide dive by Ambrose and he pulls out the chainsaw!!!! Brock hits the overhead belly to belly suplex on the floor and that’s #10. Ambrose nails Lesnar with some audio equipment and he nails Lesnar in the back with a chair. Ambrose goes up but Lesnar runs up and hits an overhead belly to belly superplex for #11!!! Ambrose sprays a fire extinguisher at the face of Lesnar and Ambrose drills Lesnar repeatedly with a chair!!! Basement dropkick into the chair by Ambrose in the corner. Ambrose goes up and hits a flying elbow drop using the chair for 2!!! Ambrose tosses a pile of chairs into the ring and Lesnar catches him with a release German suplex for #12. Lesnar goes for the F-5 but Ambrose counters with Dirty Deeds into the chairs for 2!!! Ambrose grabs the barbed wire bat and he charges but misses. Release German suplex onto the chairs by Lesnar, suplex #13. F-5 onto the pile of chairs by Lesnar gets 3!!!
Winner- Brock Lesnar **** (The psychology in this match was amazing. Lesnar didn’t use a single weapon until the finish, but Ambrose gave Lesnar the pile of chairs so it puts over the idea that Brock himself is the ultimate weapon. The ways Ambrose was able to gain a small advantage over Lesnar were incredibly clever and he looked like a warrior so taking Lesnar’s best stuff and getting that single close near fall on him. The build up with the chainsaw and barbed wire bat ended up being completely pointless which was dumb but this was a great fight without having to go completely nuts. )

We get the Hall of Fame ceremony with Sting getting the big entrance.

Video package for Charlotte/Banks/Lynch airs.

WWE Women’s Championship- Charlotte w/Ric Flair © vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks
Awesome Entrance #2: Snoop Dogg comes out to rap Sasha Banks’ theme. Banks and Lynch knock Charlotte down with a chop and the challengers exchange near falls. Big boot to Lynch by Charlotte. Assisted hurricanrana by Banks and Charlotte blocks the monkey flip. They botch a sunset flip/German suplex spot and Banks begins to work the arm. Banks breaks with a back elbow and Charlotte pulls her into a wheelbarrow suplex into the ropes!!! Banks jumps off the apron onto Charlotte and back in, Lynch hits a hammer lock reverse DDT for 2. Lynch goes up but Charlotte stops her and hits the Rude Awakening for 2. Charlotte rams Lynch off the mat a few times and she begins to work the leg of Lynch. Shoulders to the midsection by Banks and Lynch dumps her to the floor before she hit the double knees. O’Connor roll by Charlotte gets 1 and she rolls Lynch up for 1. Cross arm breaker by Lynch but Banks breaks it up. Lynch dumps Banks again and Charlotte hits a back breaker. Figure-4 by Charlotte and Banks breaks it up with a Frog Splash for 2!!! Standing Meteora by Banks gets 2 as Lynch catches her with a release German suplex. Jaw breaker by Charlotte and Lynch comes back with a pump handle Urinage for 2 as Banks saves. Wheelbarrow roll-up to Banks by Lynch gets 2. Double knees in the corner by Banks and she catches Charlotte with a Tope Con Hilo on the floor!!!! Flair and Banks have a Wooo off and Lynch catches Flair with a suicide dive!!!! Charlotte goes up and hits an Asai moonsault to the floor!!!!! Back in, Charlotte hits double Natural Selection for 2. Banks blocks a power bomb and Lynch catches both with the missile dropkick for 2. Disarmer to Charlotte but Banks breaks it up with the Backstabber. Banks Statement to Lynch and she rolls Lynch to the middle of the ring. Charlotte grabs the Figure-4 on Banks to break!!! She turns it into the Figure-8 but Lynch pulls Banks out of the hold!!! All three women trade blows and the challengers pound away on Charlotte. Spear to Banks and Lynch hits some shoulders to the midsection of Charlotte. They go up and Banks joins them. Banks knocks Lynch off and Lynch puts Banks in the tree of woe. Fisherman Superplex by Lynch to Charlotte!!! Backstabber into the Banks Statement to Lynch but Charlotte dumps Banks to the floor to break. Figure-8 to Lynch and Flair prevents Banks from entering, allowing Lynch to tap!!!
Winner and Still (with new title) WWE Women’s Champion- Charlotte ***3/4 ( The early bad botch by Sasha took people at the match for a little bit but they eventually got the nerves out of their system and had a great match. Awesome sequences that took advantage of the triple threat rules rather than having it work against them, crazy spots where they threw caution to the wind to tear the house down, and they had a major match atmosphere that a women’s match at WrestleMania hasn’t had since Trish/Mickie James from 22. This was at the level of some of their NXT encounters and they should be proud of taking advantage of the moment and hopefully making this a real launching point for the women’s division. )

Video package for Taker/Shane airs.

Hell in a Cell Match-Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker
Awesome entrance #3: Shane’s kids come out and do the Shane dance dressed as their dad. If Shane wins, he gets control of Raw and Taker can no longer compete at WrestleMania. Shane keeps his distance early but Taker hits a knee to the midsection. They trade blows and Taker dumps Shane. Back in, Shane throws some jabs but Taker hits one hard shot to bring him down. Snake eyes by Taker but Shane comes back with a back elbow. Taker sends Shane into the cell and he hits a leg drop on the apron. Back in, Taker hits the Last Ride for 2!!! Taker brings the steps into the ring and Shane catches Taker in the Triangle Choke!!! Taker counters into a roll-up for 2, forcing Shane to break. Knees by Shane but Taker comes back with a choke slam onto the steps for 2!!! Elbow drop misses and Taker crashes onto the steps!!! Shane tells Taker to bring it and Shane catches Taker with a DDT onto the steps for 2!!! Elbow drop off the steps by Shane gets 2 and Taker sits up. Taker throws some jabs but Taker catches Shane in Hell’s Gate. Shane counters into the Sharpshooter but Taker powers out. Shane fires away in the corner and he places a trash can against Taker. Coast to Coast into the trash can by Shane!!!! Shane covers for 2. Shane grabs some bolt cutters and he starts cutting some pieces on a part of the cell. Shane fires away and Taker drives Shane through the cell!!! Taker drives Shane into the broken piece of the cell and he takes the announce table apart. He nails Shane with a monitor and they fight onto the timekeeper’s table. Shane catches Taker in a sleeper but Taker JUMPS OFF THE TIMEKEEPER’S STAND THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE TO BREAK!!!! Shane nails Taker in the head with a tool box and he drills Taker for a second time, knocking him onto another announce table. Shane nails Taker with a TV monitor and he climbs the cell!!!! SHANE JUMPS FOF THE TOP OF THE CELL AND CRASHES THROUGH THE TABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!! Shane is still telling Taker to bring it!!! Taker carries Shane into the ring and now Taker tells Shane to bring it. Shane does the same and Taker gives him props before hitting the Tombstone for 3. Shane is carted out after the match and he gives the thumbs up.
Winner- The Undertaker ***1/2 ( Shane is a lunatic, no other to put it. I had trouble getting into this early as Shane’s so called “submissions” didn’t do it for me but they beat the holy hell out of one another and you have to love the little touches and the idea that Shane put EVERYTHING including his life into trying to win this match but he crashed and burned. This was quite the spectacle once they went through the cell and that dive will be an iconic Mania moment, so bravo to these two for pulling this bad boy off.)

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Surprise entrants include Diamond Dallas Page, Tatanka, and SHAQ!!!!! Shaq and Show face off and Kane joins in. Show and Shaq hit a double chokeslam on Kane!!! Everyone gangs up on Shaq and Show but they shove everyone away. Fandango is dumb enough to stick around so Show dumps him. Sandow tries his luck and Shaq dumps him. Shaq and Show choke each other and it allows everyone to dump them!!! DDP hits the Diamond Cutter on Viktor and he dumps him. Konnor knocks DDP out. Goldust and Truth clothesline Konnor out. Tatanka chops away on Adam Rose and he hits a second rope tomahawk chop. Corbin dumps Tatanka. Kane backdrops Jack Swagger out. The Social Outcasts take control and R-Truth catches Axel with a leg lariat. Slater and Rose dump Truth. Axel and Dallas knock Goldust off the apron. The Outcasts celebrate but Corbin and Kane go after them. Kane dumps Axel and Corbin knocks Rose out when he tried to springboard in. Kane chokeslams Corbin and Herny dumps Slater. Henry presses Tyler Breeze onto the Outcasts on the floor!!! Kane and Young dump Henry. Kane shoves Young and Dallas out and Corbin dumps Kane to win!!!
Winner- Baron Corbin * (Yeah this sucked. Shaq was a fun surprise but this was a get your shit in style of match where nothing of note happed except for Corbin getting the upset and the start of a push on the main roster. We’ll see how that goes.)

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform and The Rock comes out. He has a flamethrower to light a sign with his name on it on fire. Rock talks about how happy everyone is, with the potential for many WrestleMania babies. Rock says he has the honor of coming down in front of 100,000 people and tell the fans they broke the WWE attendance record. They claim 101,763, obviously not true but hey it makes them look cool. The Wyatt Family comes out and Bray claims he chose the Rock. He represents success and greatness but also represents a lie. Bray Wyatt says he’s going to take this moment and Rock begins to crack jokes on the Wyatts. Rock puts over that Bray has ability and charisma but Rock says Bray isn’t the eater of worlds, he’s the eater of hot pockets. Bray says he’s here to knock the door down and Rock says they’re going to have a match. Rock’s GOT HIS TRUCKS ON!!!!

The Rock vs. Erick Rowan w/Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman
Rock Bottom on Rowan gets 3!!!
Winner- The Rock SQUASH (I literally don’t know what the hell is going on. )

The Wyatts surround the ring and JOHN CENA IS HERE!!!!!!! Rock and Cena go after Strowman and Rock hits the Rock Bottom. Blue Thunder Bomb to Rowan and Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle!!! AA by Cena!!! Cena blocks Sister Abigail and Rock fires away. Spinebuster by Rock and he hits the People’s Elbow on Bray!!! Rock welcomes Cena back and they embrace.

Video package for HHH/Reigns airs.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship- Triple H w/Stephanie McMahon© vs. Roman Reigns
Awesome entrance #4: Stephanie is the Queen of Queens and cuts a Game of Thrones style promo proclaiming the Authority’s power and everyone is a mindless follower before introducing HHH. Reigns comes out through the steps, so clearly they were afraid of a reaction like he got last year when he came through the crowd. Reigns is getting booed like crazy but it’s not as severe as before the Lesnar match last year. HHH toys with Reigns but Reigns overpowers him. HHH hip tosses Reigns to the floor and back in, HHH begins to work the arm. Hard right by Roman ends that and they trade slaps to send each other a message. Northern lariat by HHH and he hits a forearm to the back. Reigns fires back and he hits a clothesline. Leaping clothesline by Reigns and he snaps HHH’s neck off the ropes. Drive By from Reigns gets 2. Corner clotheslines by Reigns and Stephanie distracts the ref, allowing HHH to go low. Inverted atomic drops by HHH gets 2. HHH targets the nose of Reigns and Reigns fights back. HHH ends that with a spine buster for 2. He hammers Reigns on the mat and HHH dumps Reigns to the floor. HHH slams Reigns’ face repeatedly on the announce table but Reigns returns the favor. HHH tosses Reigns over the announce table and Reigns again fights back. HHH catches Reigns with a swinging neck breaker on the floor!!! Back in, HHH throws some kicks at Reigns and he hits a guillotine knee drop to bring Reigns in for 2. HHH gord busters Reigns on the top rope and he goes for another guillotine knee drop but Reigns nails him on the way down!!! Big boot by Reigns and he catches HHH with a Samoan Drop for 2. HHH bails to avoid the Superman Punch and Reigns leaps off the steps and hits a clothesline on HHH. Reigns sends HHH into the steps and HHH returns the favor. He dumps Reigns over the announce table again and Reigns comes back with a Spear through the barricade!!!! Back in, Reigns goes for the Superman Punch but HHH counters into the Crowbar but Reigns makes the ropes. Fujiwara arm bar by HHH and he traps the other arm of Reigns. HHH converts it into the cross arm breaker but Reigns breaks with a sit-out powerbomb for 2. HHH goes back to the arm but Reigns once again breaks with a sit-out power bomb. HHH blocks a Spear and he goes for the Pedigree but Reigns backdrops him to the floor to block. Reigns looks to dive but HHH nails him to block. Reigns hits the Spear for 2 after Stephanie pulled the ref out of the ring on the first near fall. Stephanie scolds the ref and Reigns goes for the Spear but HHH MOVES AND REIGNS SPEARS STEPHANIE!!!! Pedigree by HHH gets 2!!! Face buster by HHH but Reigns comes back with a Superman Punch~!!! Reigns goes for the Spear but HHH blocks with a high knee for 2. Stephanie hands HHH the sledgehammer and Reigns hits the Superman Punch~!!! A second one~!!! Spear by Reigns gets 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion- Roman Reigns ***1/4 (Triple H once again has a WrestleMania main event that falls flat after following the Shane bumps and a segment with Rock and Cena. The match was solid but to have a slower methodical match in the final part of a SEVEN HOUR show was insane. The dynamics of the match were wrong too. HHH is not Brock Lesnar so they could not get sympathy for Roman no matter how they tried. The crowd couldn’t even bother to keep booing Reigns cause things were going so slow, and it took the usual barricade bump and Reigns spearing Stephanie to get a big reaction again. Reigns triumphantly holding up his THIRD WWE Championship to a chorus of boos is quite the way to cap of his story. )

6.0
The final score: review Average
The 411
This is one of the weirdest WrestleManias I've ever watched. I was ready to praise the show after Taker/Shane but this kept going on and on and the longer it went the more I started to hate what I was watching. Let's start with the positives, the ladder match stole the show, the women's match lived up to the hype and got the big time treatment it deserved, and people will be split on Ambrose/Lesnar but I'm in the camp who really liked it. All in all, the wrestling on this show was pretty good. On the flip side, it's clear this show was designed to be all specticle and didn't give a damn about trying to use WrestleMania as a vehicle to raise the star power of their young talent. BARON CORBIN was the only one who got elevated out of this show. Zack Ryder got the lone feel good moment of this show, after seven years of being buried and mistreated for trying to get himself over. Legends and stars of the past were put over at the expense of acts like the New Day and the Wyatts who need the elevation to help carry this company through the next several months. Roman Reigns was the last image of WrestleMania, standing tall to a chorus of boos culimnating the most infuriating build of a potential top star I have ever seen. It pretty much summed up the last couple of years of WWE's mentality and it reflects poorly on the current state of things. I can't in good faith tell you guys to sit through this chore of a show but there is some good stuff that's worth checking out. Let's hope Raw tomorrow shifts us in a better direction but right now not getting my hopes up.
legend