The dust has settled on yet another edition of the showcase of the immortals and it's time to sit back and reflect on what was an extremely packed show. From emotional moments to shocking returns, the Orlando spectacular had just about everything you could hope for as a wrestling fan - even with the sight of Roman Reigns celebrating alongside a host of fireworks. Sickening.
Nonetheless, it was a grand occasion as always, and for the first time ever we were able to make the trip overseas to the United States in order to be there live in attendance. As such, we also went to a string of other events throughout the week with this being the first in a series of "10 Things you might have missed out" articles that will run throughout the next week or so on Sportskeeda.
As you can see we're starting off strong, diving straight into the event that thousands upon thousands of fans all around the world dream of one day seeing in the flesh - WrestleMania.
Obviously, there's always the threat of us being a little bit biased toward the show considering we were there in person, but hopefully that doesn't end up being the case. With that being said, here are 10 observations from attending WrestleMania 33.
#1 Turn the lights off
When you're watching WrestleMania from the comfort of your own home, you often find yourself wondering how people in the higher up sections of the stadium are able to see the ring. However, it turns out that no matter where you are in correspondence with the ring you're going to have a pretty decent view no matter how much you paid for your tickets.
That is, of course, if your view isn't being blocked by a massive orange light. You see, throughout the course of the evening whenever the matches were taking place there was a glaring light or two that shone directly into the eyes of many fans around Camping World Stadium.
Many of us got used to it around an hour or so into the show, but the headache the following morning wasn't all too pleasant. Now onto something that was a little bit more enjoyable.
#2 Fan fights
Wrestling fans are weird - there, we said it. As a community, we tend to be so divided on so many different topics that we often come to a stalemate in terms of how to resolve the issue. Well, fear no more ladies and gentlemen as WM33 proved there's one way to settle the score that was right in front of our eyes the entire time.
Having a match. Yup.
Throughout the pre-show a number of fans who had dressed up as WWE legends engaged in amusing brawls across the stadium, with the likes of Corey Graves and Tom Phillips even turning around at times to watch the action unfold. It was silly and it was even distracting at times, but it was also a lot of fun and that's what wrestling is all about.
Speaking of wrestling.
#3 Non-Sanctioned deflation
At WrestleMania 33, The Hardy Boyz returned to the WWE after many years away and won the Raw Tag Team Championships. As you can imagine, the 75,000 people that were packed into that place lost their minds as one of the most popular and successful teams in recent memory came home and reached the top of the mountain once again.
Unfortunately, the show still had another few hours left to run and a few bouts suffered in terms of fan reactions, simply due to how exhausted everyone was from this moment - with Triple H vs. Seth Rollins being a prime victim. Despite being an exciting brawl, the crowd never really got into the Mentor vs. Student affair until Stephanie went crashing through a table. Logic.
He hears voices in his head, we hear crickets.
#4 Orton hatred
After months of build up, the stage was set for Bray Wyatt to defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at the showcase of the immortals. Whilst it didn't end up being the main event, fans were happy enough to just be able to witness the match as the storyline had been so fascinating for so long that everyone was waiting for the big pay-off.
Alas, the match seemed to be cut short as the 10-minute encounter came to an abrupt end when Orton hit the RKO and slowly climbed onto the motionless Wyatt for the one, two, three.
It was a bit of a sucker punch, to say the least, as they had a lot of potential in this match and instead chose to throw it away for the sake of another Orton title reign.Needless to say, Mr Orford was one of many who wasn't happy with The Viper taking his time before sealing the deal. We move on to the man, the myth, the legend - the Deadman.
#5 ‘Taker's entrance
It sounds cliche to say it after so many have in the past, but experiencing The Undertaker's entrance live really is one of the greatest commodities in wrestling. The blazing fire, the gong and the calculated walk to the ring, all combine to make for one of the most remarkable spectacles that you're ever likely to see in sports entertainment.
Just prior to the main event, however, it became quickly obvious that ‘Taker wouldn't even be attempting the full 80-yard walk down to the ring as a number of dark figures were seen tampering with one particular section of the ramp. We speculated that the Phenom may well just come out from the ground, and that's exactly what transpired.
Wait, what did you just say?
#6 Deafening pyro
The pyrotechnic displays at WrestleMania are always pretty special to see on television, but in person, they're on a whole other level. The sheer grandeur of the event is encapsulated into these firework displays of sorts, and it really does make you feel as if you're a part of some kind of carnival.
Unfortunately, if you're not anticipating them then the odds are that you'll be left with a distinct ringing noise in your ears. That's nobody's fault in particular, but the deafening nature of the pyro will initially lead you to believe that there's been a nuclear detonation just a few blocks away. That's not a criticism, necessarily - just a word of warning.
We'll stay on the stadium for this next point.
#7 Screen distraction
Whenever WWE holds ‘Mania in an outdoor stadium, which seems to be every other year at this point, there's often a screen or two to assist fans in viewing the action. Sometimes there's one above the ring and maybe one in the corner, but this time round, there were no fewer than four jumbo screens located around Camping World Stadium.
Again, we aren't pinpointing this as a problem - because it's quite useful for certain matches.
However, it can be a little distracting at times when you're trying to look at the actual competitors in the ring because the clarity of the picture is just so much better if you just look up a few feet. There's no right or wrong way to watch what's going on, but it does create a bit of a dilemma from time to time.
Speaking of which..
#8 Battle royal mayhem
Please ignore everything we've just said in the previous entry because when it came to the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, we desperately required the assistance of the screens.
Like, desperately.
Attempting to keep track of who was still in the ring at any given time was an absolute nightmare, and it was because of the screen that myself and Mr Williams were able to witness Braun Strowman's surprise elimination whilst queuing up for food.
Obviously, there's no real way to rectify this, but it's yet another cautionary tale for fans who assume that they'll be able to witness all of the action. Hell, even when there were only five or six competitors left in the ring it was still a bit of a challenge - although we were still able to spot Jinder Mahal's glistening definition from a mile away. Seriously, that dude is jacked.
Someone get the bloody sun cream!
#9 Florida sun
We aren't great with heat. Simple as that.
Bringing factor 50 sun cream along to Orlando should be a good enough indication of that, but in case it's not, then we invite you to go back and examine just how hot it was in the Sunshine State during the pre-show. Honestly, there were times where we felt like we were going to disintegrate during the Neville vs. Austin Aries clash.
Thankfully things cooled off as the evening went on but as we entered the stadium it felt more like we were about to venture into the Egyptian desert than anything else. My little brother had warned me about the humidity, but this was on a whole other level.
We conclude with a babyface entry to send the crowd home happy.
#10 Grandest stage of them all
WrestleMania is billed as many things: the showcase of the immortals, the greatest show in all of sports entertainment and even the ultimate thrill ride. But there's one term that describes the extravaganza better than any other - the grandest stage of them all.
Regardless of whether you're a casual wrestling fan or a hardcore member of the WWE Universe, WrestleMania appeals to all kinds of demographics and that's what makes it oh so special.
The atmosphere, the electricity and the moments that are created will last a lifetime and regardless of what your financial situation may be, you should all strive to one day attend this phenomenal event. Sure all of the matches may not live up to the hype, but WrestleMania is about so much more than what you see in the ring.
It brings people from all different walks of life together, and as stereotypical as this sounds - it's something that will stick with you for as long as you live.
So as you sit there reading this, probably cringing at the sheer velocity of some of these statements, consider putting a few pennies away every so often in order to ensure that you're present at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 8th, 2018. It'll be worth it.
See you in New Orleans.
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