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WrestleMania 35 slugged through seven hours in an intriguing fury, producing the last great Mania of the decade. It was great though, maybe uneven and exhausting but there's no denying the pageantry of the whole spectacle.
It helps that the gargantuan parade that WrestleMania is, comes after a host of other shows above all else NXT Takeover that allows the Wrestling fan to enjoy some real action before the spectacle.
WrestleMania becomes the showpiece of a wrestling carnival for the week when the city such as New York gets taken over by a host of promotions selling their wares. This obviously includes the scintillating NJPW/ROH led G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden.
Unfortunately, if reports are true then this is the last time fans taking the pilgrimage to a 'Mania host city will get the chance to see Independent scene's greatest just before the big night. WWE has come to terms with Florida's officials next year to prevent any outside promotions taking advantage of their one big night.
If that is the case then this year went out with a bang like no other.As such to celebrate possibly the last true WrestleMania week, here are the top 20 matches that absolutely stole the show including a certain historic main event to close out the celebrations.
Also don't worry, unlike WWE we won't make you slog through a whole set of explosive matches at a go, instead enjoy part 1 on this 2 part look back at WrestleMania 35 week.
Honorable Mentions:
Before we do get to the main event of this piece, we have to look at the simmering undercard that just couldn't make the top twenty cut, so here goes;
(For the Smackdown Tag Team Championships) The Usos (c) vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev vs. The Bar, WrestleMania 35: A fast-paced burst of energy just at the right point for a card that seems to grow from strength to strength only to end matches in questionable fashion. This one lit the crowd on fire after WWE's lighting went haywire.
Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr, WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow 2019: Forced to improvise after some delays and organization issues, the Lucha Brothers put on a show for the audiences with a stellar match. They could have played it easy with the big hits, but instead went all out for paying fans and that's fearless.
(For the IWGP Heavyweight and ROH Tag Team Championships) Guerillas of Destiny (c) vs. Brody King/PCO (c) vs. EVIL/Sanada vs. Briscoe Brothers, NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard @MSG: Nearly undone by some horrible post-match shenanigans from ROH booker Delirious. This match was just as much of ballistic action as its WrestleMania counterpart, stealing the show with a mad PCO bump and some great guerilla action.
(For the NXT Women's Championship) Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Io Shirai vs. Bianca BeLair vs. Kairi Sane, NXT Takeover New York: Pushed out by a few mistimed spots, this was a thrilling sprint match on a card just to exceptional to top. Even then another Takeover stellar showing in the box for a growing women's division.
#20 Suzuki Gun (Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr) vs. Will Ospreay and Hiroshi Tanahashi, RevPro Live in NYC
A non-title match (Suzuki Gun being RevPro Tag Team Champions), to act as a preview for Sabre's battle against Tanahashi at Madison Square Garden for the RevPro Heavyweight Title.
This one saw a stirring contest between two teams so well oiled especially in the case of Ospreay and Tanahashi. They're a better team than the Dream power unit of Okada and Tanahashi.
The match's centerpiece is Zack wisening up after his loss to Tanahashi in the New Japan Cup, targetting his weak legs like he hadn't before.
At the same time, the animosity spills in exciting fashion to Ospreay and Suzuki with the Suzuki gun leader chopping Will to bits. A key sequence sees Will bring the first to Suzuki, only to find out no one can put down the King.
Eventually, despite the focus on the upcoming singles match, this became another showcase for the well-developed story through the week of Ospreay's challenge to heavyweights and changing of his methods.
Forced to use high-flying moves after failing to match the Suzuki Gun team at their respective games, Ospreay breaks up a double submission attempt as well as tries hard for storm breaker only to fall to Sabre Jr.
Result: Zack Sabre Jr. blocks a stormbreaker and takes out Will Ospreay with a pin and a win for Suzuki Gun
#19 for the RAW/Smackdown Women's Championships: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (c), WrestleMania 35
Bogged down by a supposedly botched ending (though knowing WWE it's a way to extend the feud) and a deflated crowd after seven hours. The women's triple threat match might not seem as historic as touted but it is quite an interesting battle in retrospect.
What seems like a sluggish match is in fact what good old JR would call; a slobber knocker. Taking cues from the best of interactions between these technically refined women, WWE goes subversive yet again against the specialty of the competitors. That can seem a mistake if it weren't for how thrilling Lynch and Flair's last woman standing match or Rousey and Charlotte's Survivor Series battle was.
So what we have is Rousey fighting furiously to expose the business, yet Charlotte and Becky especially bringing it to her with equal grit and determination. There's a double team, a table spot, a painful injury, and even Rousey calling Charlotte's chops weak. All in all, there's a lot of hatred and it shows in the number of cuss words bleeped out and the hard-hitting variant these women bring to the table.
They should not carry the blame for that reaction, the oddly timed abrupt ending and the unwieldy structure of WrestleMania takes away from them. Yet even then, these three proved that not only are they here to stay but hopefully main event for a long time to come.
Result: Becky Lynch reverses Rousey's finisher into a crucifix pin for the win to become the NEW RAW and Smackdown Women's Champion!
#18 For the ROH TV and NEVER Openweight Championships: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Jeff Cobb (c), NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard @Madison Square Garden
The running theme of WrestleMania week is winner takes all.
In ROH and NJPW's collaborative efforts at Madison Square Garden, two of their future prospects faced off in a banger clash of styles.
With Ospreay looking leaner than ever, an indication that he will enter the Battle of Super Juniors later this year. The Assassin was once known as an aerial master, has now molded his game with some great additional intensity.
This is what he brings to the larger but equally agile Jeff Cobb, in a match where Will taps into reserves of strength to knock the Olympian down. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done, forcing Will to tap into that aerial part of him and outmatch the bigger Cobb before being swatted away.
That escalation into his comfort zone costs Ospreay as Cobb can easily match him there, including hitting an unbelievable super Tour of Islands, eventually securing both championships. Now with a return paved back to the Juniors, Will comes out of the week forced to reflect on when and how he can make it to the heavyweights.
Meanwhile, Cobb has two lands to dominate, but two feet on different boats is no easy feat. Regardless a hot opener this was for NJPW/ROH's claim to WWE's homeground.
Result: A super tour of islands ends WIll Ospreay as Jeff Cobb picks up the win to retain the ROH TV Championship and become the NEW NEVER Openweight Champion!
#17 Tessa Blanchard vs. Britt Baker, Shimmer Vol. 113
WWE honestly dropped the ball on their historic WrestleMania with just two women's matches on the main card. That ball gets picked, played and dunked by the women of the Independent scene proving that it truly is the Women's evolution in pro-wrestling everywhere.
At this point, Tessa Blanchard and Britt Baker could perform this match up blindfolded, yet credit where credit is due, these two women start off in a similar fashion and end somewhere else. A story is magnetically told as Tessa expectedly takes control of the match, but cannot down a determined Baker.
Blanchard does the little things so well despite few botches, showcasing her mean and arrogant spirit to Baker's on the ropes babyface. Her disbelief that Baker isn't put down is well performed, as she keeps this insecurity away from Britt's eyes in order not to give her an edge.
Eventually, a flurry of sequences sees Tessa finally put down the former dentist. Though no handshake is given, a cursory nod by Blanchard is the respect that Britt may just get to her level if not already so, next time.
Result: Tessa Blanchard reverses another Canadian destroyer attempt into a Buzzsaw DDT to get the pin and win this match.
#16 Zack Sabre Jr vs. Shane Strickland, WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow 2019
Readying himself for a Madison Square Garden showcase, Zack put down the gauntlet early for an open challenge before this show even started.
The brilliance of this is that not only does Zack want to face someone he hasn't before, but he clearly believes that it will be an easy route on the way to his major title defense of the weekend.
Big mistake result notwithstanding, as the soon to head to WWE Shane Strickland proves in a feisty contest of differing warriors.
What's so stellar about Strickland is that he can go from the vicious leader of the Unwanted of EVOLVE to the fan-friendly Swerve master in a heartbeat. Here to prove that the Independent is Swerve's house, Strickland comes in with a babyface fire matching Zack's mat game to prove his worth.
Shane rattles Zack by playing his game and countering his sneaky attack and defenses, including targeting Sabre's lower body when he protects his chest in a chop fest sequence. Swerve undoubtedly proves his mettle as a big get for NXT's next batch of stars, hitting hard on the RevPro double champion but eventually gets caught by the submission master. The loss comes in an intriguing maneuver that Zack would later replicate in the week.
The partisan crowd lets out a huge ovation for both men, especially a dejected Strickland possibly looking at his last dates before making WWE Swerve's new house.
Result: Zack Sabre Jr. folds Shane Strickland like a pretzel to get the verbal tap out and win this open challenge
#15 Tomohiro Ishii vs. David Starr, RevPro Live in NYC
Coming in disillusioned by the efforts of management to stall him, Starr brings his A-Game to another week bender this time against Ishii.
It makes for the perfect recipe, as the cruiserweight tackles the stone pitbull and pushes him around. Unlike most Ishii matches where he works from below, this one doesn't prove that much of a challenge or so it seems.
Ishii blisters a tactician like cruel Starr, there's no way you should anger a man of the Pitbull's demeanor as proven by the beatdown Starr receives.
The size difference and the altered dynamic gives this one a twisted pinch, on a week where underdog battles are the norm. As such Starr's rise to Ishii's level is commendable, but it's satisfying to see him thrashed around.
Tomohiro Ishii has proven he is a class act for the RevPro upper-card and Starr a shining example of knowing when to push and pull back with his character work. The match takes an escalating turn when Starr tries to chop his way across Ishii, who isn't moved one bit except for a particularly tasty flinch as Starr pulls back on a chop. This is proof enough of David's mettle despite being reduced to pulp by the end of it all.
Result: Ishii hits hard with a lariat and brainbuster combot to pick up the tough win
#14 for the Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Utami Hayashishita
Another challenge is thrown down by a champion, this time for the championship to her own protegé part of the Queen's Quest faction.
It is beyond surprising that as the leader of the faction and a class veteran of her game, Watanabe is simply 19 years old. Making her the future prospect of not just the Stardom promotion, but the women's evolution in wrestling as well. Not that Stardom needs evolutions anyway, they've been kicking doors for ages.
The excitement of this match falls to the technical piece they weave, as Momo challenges the rookie Utami to bring it to her at every turn. It's a feisty and arrogant challenge from the champion, to put down her latest shining star in the faction but she bites off more than she can chew. Utami gives chase in a match of measured counters.
Anytime Utami does get this leverage though she gets put back in her place, barely cutting off the three count with each shot and move Momo lands her way. It's brilliant to see how this big match ballad between the two places Utami front and center, for a showcase only a queen like Momo Watanabe can give her. Eventually, all is for naught as Momo goes full throttle to eke out with the win. A rematch down the line might prove different, Queen's Quest is complete for now.
Result: Hitting a Peach Sunset, Momo Watanabe picks up the win to retain her Wonder of Stardom Championship
#13 Hideki Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher, GCW Josh Barnett's Bloodsport
The second edition of GCW's Bloodsport finally hits the nail on the head, with authentic shoot wrestling taking center stage. This means Timothy Thatcher really gets to let loose in what is clearly a dream match for the former EVOLVE Champion.
The two men take it to the mat early in the match, scrambling for a position of advantage to finish this early.
However, an unsatisfied Thatcher is incapable of resisting, taking the striking game to Suzuki and rattling the beast in the process.
Lucky for the viewers, Suzuki comes with determination this time around, unlucky for a clearly in awe Thatcher. A flurry of offense continues with Thatcher taking on each and every bomb Suzuki lands his way, reminding him who he is playing with. Hideki Suzuki eventually has enough and the furiously escalating match turns defiantly violent with just one throw.
Dazed beyond recognition, the throw lands Thatcher to the mat who remains frozen long enough for the referee to call it in.
By the end, Suzuki shows Thatcher his place, but he is clearly glad to have had this opportunity even though Hideki Suzuki gives him a reluctant handshake. Thatcher is all about the catch wrestling and it is his heart that tells the story of this shoot fight.
Result: Hideki Suzuki hits a full nelson throw to knock out Timothy Thatcher and pick up the win.
#12 for the NXT Tag Team Championships: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe) (c), NXT Takeover: New York
A look-see at the wins and losses column for the past week may show that Black and Ricochet had it rough.
Yet for the relatively short time, the two NXT mainstays have been a tag team, they've lit the world on fire. Re-energizing the main roster teams while conquering the field at the Dusty Classic; the unlikely duo enters the event for the last time as NXT Superstars.
It's a fast and furious battle devoid of any real story, besides the competitive edge between both teams.
Even then the foursome never loses sight of the simple character work with Black and Rowe trading friendly if somewhat tense exchanges up to the last heartwarming hug between the units. At the same time, Hanson takes to the skies as quick as Ricochet can, but not as dangerous thankfully.
All the action condensed into this fiesta to send off Black and Ricochet with the best of energies and luck that ends with an expected standing ovation from the Barclays Center crowd.
The smoothness with which Black and Ricochet operate including the latter's cheeky touch on Black's sit down taunt will bode well for their individual and team prospects later. Here it helps pay forward the NXT mantra of the future, thanks to the bullish efforts of War Raiders as well.
No match should do this much with so little, except it isn't because the greatness of the foursome is undeniable. A fitting and unexpectedly tearjerking send off.
Result: Fallout on Ricochet by the War Raiders for the win to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships
#11 for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard @Madison Square Garden
It is a disappointment when two talents of such caliber are only eleventh on a top twenty list. A major part of that blame falls to ROH's short-sighted selfish booking that saw their tricks after the tag team contest, take attention away from the immersion of this next contest.
Even then with their sublime skill, Tanahashi and Sabre Jr manage to bring in the viewer into another storytelling classic.
The residue of their New Japan Cup clashes (last year's Zack win included as well) resonates in this match, providing the template for an unlikely trilogy. Where in their last matchup, Zack sought to prove his prowess by going against the grain, here he sticks true.
In the last cup match, Tanahashi found Zack targeting everything but his weakened legs only for Sanada to do the opposite and head to the finals. Here Zack unleashes on said legs with unbelievable fury. Though Tanahashi is the ace for a reason, this one is Sabre's story as he has broken down opponents including The Ace all week for the perfect shot.
It all comes tumbling towards the end with a nifty set of counters as Sabre smartly avoids and transitions dragon suplex moves into submission after submission all the way from the simple armbar into the twisted Orient Napalm Death destroying the giant that is The Ace.
Result: Zack Sabre Jr. ties up Hiroshi Tanahashi forcing a verbal tap out to win and retain the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship!
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