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After a 40-minute delay to the start of WrestleMania 37, things finally got underway with the WWE Championship match. Drew McIntyre was the first WWE Superstar to make his entrance in front of a crowd (competing stars, i.e.) and thankfully, the match delivered.
Some fans expected the match to be similar to the Drew McIntyre-Brock Lesnar main event at WrestleMania 36 last year - a bout that happened within five minutes. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
An excited crowd overcame the rain and gave the match and the two competitors the respect that it deserved. Both men were cheered, and the big shock came when Bobby Lashley made Drew McIntyre pass out with The Hurt Lock. It wasn't a clean victory, however, as MVP distracted the two-time WWE Champion momentarily and that's what led to his loss.
Drew McIntyre didn't use the Claymore - so it was a good way to protect it. There are a few theories as to why Bobby Lashley may have retained the WWE title at WrestleMania 37. Here are a few of them:
#5 A Brock Lesnar return post-WrestleMania
As of this writing, it's hard to predict whether Brock Lesnar will return on the RAW after WrestleMania, or in the build up to SummerSlam 2021. Brock Lesnar hasn't even been on a WWE contract since the summer of 2020, but it seems as though the company is confident in re-signing him.
WWE has possibly already signed Brock Lesnar to a new contract post-WrestleMania. Given that the state of fans returning full-time still isn't certain yet, the big question is as to when WWE has his return planned.
Given that SummerSlam is the second biggest show of the year, it's a good option to build to - especially if that would be the end of Lashley's WWE title reign. It would mean WWE has to get Bobby Lashley through another four months, but that shouldn't be difficult.
Bobby Lashley, like Drew McIntyre, is a legitimate heavyweight champion and is a good option to go with. Hopefully, the dream match between Lashley and Lesnar finally comes to fruition.
#4 A shock opening result at WrestleMania 37
With Drew McIntyre making the first entrance in front of fans for WrestleMania 37, most people assumed that the babyface had to get the big title win to kick off the first show in front of fans in 13 months.
It would be good, but it would also be obvious. WWE knew the options they had but likely felt that a big shock at the start of the show was a better way to go about it.
Ultimately, the shock result has gotten more people talking about WrestleMania. Bobby Lashley didn't get heat, since fans seemed to embrace the reigning WWE Champion. It speaks volumes to the work that he's put in over the years - finally getting the respect that he deserves.
Bobby Lashley just won the biggest match of his WWE career, and whether it was circumstantial or not, it's done. WWE chose to surprise fans with the result at WrestleMania, but to some fans, it was only to be expected. The All Mighty WWE Champion reigned supreme.
#3 WrestleMania was too soon for Bobby Lashley's WWE title reign to end
This is a fair argument for Bobby Lashley retaining the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Lashley is only a little over a month into his WWE title reign, although it feels like it's been longer.
Perhaps that speaks to the legitimacy that he holds with the title. Given that he only recently crossed 40 days as the WWE Champion heading into WrestleMania, it seems too soon to end that reign. It's possible that this could be the sole world title reign that Bobby Lashley has in his WWE career. So why not make it a good one?
Using The Miz as a transitional champion is understandable, especially since they needed to get rid of the Money in the Bank briefcase (originally held by Otis). But Bobby Lashley deserves more than that.
If this is going to be his only reign as WWE Champion, it's important that he has a good one. Otherwise, his momentum would have vanished instantly.
#2 Drew McIntyre will have his time even with a loss at WrestleMania
It's hard to dispute the fact that Drew McIntyre deserves his moment in front of fans at WrestleMania. He has been the best superstar in WWE since the start of 2020, and few wrestlers in the world have been at his level in the pandemic era.
Last year, Drew McIntyre had his moment taken away from him because of COVID-19, but that didn't stop him from reaching a new level and becoming the best star in WWE.
He may have lost at WrestleMania, but that doesn't mean his time won't come. It simply means that WWE chose to delay the moment. Perhaps WrestleMania 38 in 2022 would be a good time to coronate him.
If there are other circumstances, it wouldn't be surprising to see WWE go with Drew McIntyre as the world champion on RAW later this year.
If Brock Lesnar is the man to take the WWE title off Bobby Lashley, then it would be the perfect set-up for a blockbuster rematch next year against Drew McIntyre.
#1 WWE is going in a different direction after WrestleMania 37
2020 was Drew McIntyre's year after WrestleMania 36, but 2021 may not be his. It doesn't mean that he will have a bad year - just that it may not be as big a success for him as 2021.
That's fine, because as previously mentioned, Drew McIntyre's time will still come. He has a long career ahead in WWE. Perhaps the only criticism of the build-up to the WWE title match at WrestleMania 37 is the decision made to abandon The Hurt Business by kicking out Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.
Ultimately, Bobby Lashley didn't get as much heat as expected, but he was given a lot of respect instead and cheered for his big win at WrestleMania. 2021 might be the year of The All Mighty - which marks a big change in direction.
We had two heel WWE title runs in 2020 - with Brock Lesnar holding the title for the first few months and Randy Orton for three weeks in between. WWE usually has a cycle of face-and-heel champions - and this could be Lashley's time.
