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WrestleMania 37 had a lot of pressure and hype around it. It was the first WWE event with a substantial number of fans in attendance in a year. The PPV also had two nights to fill with matches, segments and video packages.
For the most part, WrestleMania 37 was certainly a success. The matches all delivered in one way or another. The Fiend vs. Randy Orton might not have been a wrestling clinic, but it was storyline-heavy. Orton might be done with The Fiend, but something is brewing between Bray Wyatt's alter-ego and Alexa Bliss.
Several new Champions were crowned as every women's singles title defended during WrestleMania 37 week changed hands. There are new top women on RAW, NXT and SmackDown.
Bad Bunny impressed in his debut match, further proving that he is indeed a huge fan and dedicated performer. Many fans and fellow WWE performers - including WrestleMania 37 opponent The Miz - lauded the musician's efforts.
Both mid-card Championships changed hands. Heels Apollo Crews and Sheamus won the Intercontinental and United States Championships respectively at WrestleMania 37.
Omos' size was the focus of his RAW Tag Team title match win alongside AJ Styles. Styles started the match and struggled briefly until the big man came into the match.
The Colossus did not need to tag out as his power and size was on display. A lot of other memorable things happened at WrestleMania 37. Here are five things we learned from the event.
#5 Bayley should have been the host of WrestleMania 37
While it made some sense to have Florida natives Hulk Hogan and Titus O'Neil as the co-hosts of WrestleMania 37, Bayley stole the show when she was on screen. Without a match at the event, the WWE Universe was left to ponder what Bayley would do at the Show of Shows.
Having had a long run as SmackDown Women's Champion, the former Hugger was not scheduled to have a title match at WrestleMania 37. She could have tagged with Carmella instead of Billie Kay, as that could have allowed the IIconics to reunite for one night.
Instead, Bayley popped up in various backstage segments, usually with WWE veterans/Hall-of-Famers. Every time she showed up, she was the center of attention. Her comedy didn't feel forced like that of Hogan and O'Neil. The promos were obviously scripted but Bayley's delivery felt authentic.
When she came onstage during the segment prior to the main event, she once again carried the moment. Fans seemed unhappy when the Bella Twins emerged and ganged up on her to end the segment.
It was going to be hard to read the fans without having them in attendance in a year. But due to how the segments came off and from some of the fan reactions, Bayley would have been a better choice for the hosting duties of WrestleMania 37.
#4 The tides of the women's division turned at WrestleMania 37
One thing was infinitely clear once the smoke settled at WrestleMania 37 - the hierarchy of the WWE women's division has greatly shifted. For the last five years, members of the Four Horsewomen of NXT were almost always in the title pictures.
Stars like Asuka, Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey did have runs as Champions. More often than not, however, one of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley or Sasha Banks was RAW or SmackDown Women's Champ.
At WrestleMania 37, Banks was the only member of the Four Horsewomen of NXT to have a match. Lynch was out after giving birth, Flair was dealing with health issues of her own and Bayley was inexplicably left off the card.
With Lynch announcing her pregnancy after last year's Money in the Bank PPV, Asuka was given the task of carrying RAW's women's division. She did a great job, even if she wasn't always highlighted by the booking.
Asuka's direction heading into WrestleMania 37 changed a few times, with one rumor stating the plans were for Lacey Evans to beat the Empress of Tomorrow at Elimination Chamber. Instead, she fell pregnant, so that was taken off of the table.
It then appeared that Flair would be the one to face Asuka at WrestleMania 37. After making an official challenge, the Queen disappeared from TV. It was later revealed she had come down with COVID-19. Ripley then debuted on RAW two weeks before WrestleMania 37 and ended up beating Asuka for the RAW Women's title.
Bianca Belair's direction to the Show of Shows was much less convoluted. She won the 2021 Royal Rumble and had the right to challenge either brand's Champion. It was well-known she wanted to face Sasha Banks and that decision was confirmed after they failed to win the WWE Women's Tag titles.
The EST of WWE brought her best efforts to the main event of Night 1, beating the Boss to become the new SmackDown Women's Champ. The fact that both titles changed hands is a step into the future and away from constantly relying on the Four Horsewomen of NXT.
The WWE roster has long been full of other deserving women. Some of them still haven't had the opportunity to carry the division. After WrestleMania 37, Ripley and Belair have their chance to lead their respective brands.
#3 WrestleMania 37 teased dissension in the Firefly Fun House
Heading into the anticipated match between Randy Orton and The Fiend at WrestleMania 37, it felt since The Fiend had returned, he would pick up the win. This would essentially end the feud with the Viper.
The Fiend had an impressive entrance featuring a slight metamorphosis. He also emerged from an enormous jack-in-the-box after Alexa Bliss turned the crank. Those two moments lasted almost as long as the actual match at WrestleMania 37.
As the match headed towards its final moments, Bliss appeared atop the jack-in-the-box with black liquids falling from her face. She reached her arm out as if to summon The Fiend. That motion distracted the masked man, allowing Orton to hit the RKO for the win.
The actions were both strange and a bit disappointing. It was intriguing for the fact that it teased dissension between Bliss and The Fiend. There's always potential for angles in this pairing, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out going forward, especially after the revelations from this week's Monday Night RAW.
The disappointing aspect of the angle, however, was The Fiend losing again. He was burned alive by Orton and lost to Goldberg last year. Those were two of his biggest appearances outside of his Firefly Fun House match win over John Cena.
Wyatt losing at WrestleMania 37 was disappointing because beating Orton seemed to be the right decision. It's hard to root for Orton during this feud, due to his history with The Fiend. It's also another case of a huge name in WWE defeating a younger star.
While The Fiend didn't get outright squashed, neither did Orton. That's good in the long term because there is a lot to unpack after WrestleMania 37. There are several avenues that can be taken after Bliss cost The Fiend the win.
#2 The emotion was real at WrestleMania 37
At WrestleMania 37, the emotion was palpable and on display at various moments during the event. Competing at the Show of Shows is the pinnacle of a WWE Superstar's career and every performer wants a WrestleMania moment.
It doesn't have to necessarily be a main event or a title win but rather creating something memorable at the event. That was definitely the case for several people at WrestleMania 37.
The two most glaring examples of this - especially since fans were in attendance - involved Bianca Belair and Cesaro. Prior to the bell ringing for her title match with Sasha Banks, Belair was clearly holding back tears. She was extremely and understandably emotional on the Road to WrestleMania.
She put on the performance of her WWE career and ended up dethroning the Boss in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 37. Her family was ringside and her father almost spilled over the guard rail in happiness.
As she hoisted her newly won title, the emotion on her face was tangible and a sign of someone who truly felt blessed to be in her position. It's hard to root against someone when they are visibly invested in such moments. Belair has certainly captured not only the SmackDown Women's title but also the hearts of a lot of the WWE Universe.
The other moment of extreme emotion - albeit in a smaller dose - was during the match between Cesaro and Seth Rollins on Night 1 of WrestleMania 37. Cesaro has long been considered one of the best WWE Superstars but has not received consistent opportunities. It wasn't because of effort or skill, but because of factors outside of his control.
The main impetus for his WrestleMania 37 feud with Rollins was that Cesaro didn't get the chances that Rollins received. Because of that, Rollins felt disrespected when Cesaro didn't embrace his vision for SmackDown. The former WWE Champion went on about how great he was and how unimpressive Cesaro's resume was in comparison.
That hit home with the Swiss Superman, because it took him a decade just to get a featured singles match at a WrestleMania event. This was his first showcase on this stage as a singles competitor and the two men delivered one of the best matches of WrestleMania 37.
After he defeated Rollins, Cesaro kneeled with his head pushed directly into the mat. He sat in that position for a few seconds as his victory became real. It's moments like those from Belair and Cesaro that make WrestleMania moments all the more special.
#1 WrestleMania 37 did not have the same happy ending as WrestleMania 30
The long-touted main event of the entire WrestleMania 37 card was going to be Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship. It was first against Edge after the Rated R Superstar won the 2021 Royal Rumble.
Daniel Bryan was then added to the match after weeks of being cheated out of a chance to win the title. It caused a heel turn by Edge, but the fans in attendance rooted for both Edge and Bryan during the main event of WrestleMania 37.
It was difficult not to cheer for the Rated R Superstar, even after he assaulted both Reigns and Bryan at Fastlane. Edge wanted his shot to regain a Championship and was mad that Bryan was added to the fight. He never expressed anger directly with the fans but rather with his opponents.
Had Edge or Bryan won the title at WrestleMania 37, it would have been a milestone. Both men were forced to prematurely retire due to injuries that were life-threatening. Each man, however, was able to come out of retirement for the chance to win a title at WrestleMania 37. Reigns also overcame leukemia, making the match all the more impressive.
Unfortunately for two of the most beloved WWE Superstars in WWE history, things didn't turn out well for either man. When all was said and done - and after a lot of interference from Jey Uso - Roman Reigns retained his Championship. Unlike the emotion around the end of WrestleMania 30 that saw Bryan defeat both Orton and Batista, there was no happy ending to WrestleMania 37.
To further drive that point home, after both Edge and Bryan were assaulted with chair shots to the head, Reigns pinned both men. It was a genius move from the Tribal Chief on two fronts.
The first reason is that it continues his narrative of asserting dominance over the entire WWE roster. Reigns constantly reminds everyone, including the WWE Universe, that he is the Head of the Table. Anyone fighting back against that claim will be dealt with by the Tribal Chief.
The second reason why covering both opponents was genius is that neither Bryan nor Edge can claim they were not pinned at WrestleMania 37. When there is a triple threat, one person is usually pinned. That gives the person not factoring in the decision an excuse to continue pursuing a Championship.
Because both Edge and Bryan were pinned by the Tribal Chief, neither can make that claim. They will both likely still pursue the title but without the right to say they were not pinned. It wasn't a happy ending that many fans would have wanted, but it continued the ongoing narrative between Reigns and his challengers.
