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Wow is all I've got to say about everything that has happened this week.
WrestleMania week is always filled with surprising twists and turns, and we certainly got to see a lot of those.
I am amazed that WWE managed to deliver a consistantly decent product with mostly correct outcomes for the entirety of the programming this week.
Do not get me wrong, there were things that could of done differently, however the main goals were achieved this week. It makes you feel happy to be a wrestling fan when things are done properly.
In this article, we are going to analyze the events that unfolded and take a look at the good, as well as the bad and how things could of been done better. As usual, feel free to leave your comments of what you thought below.
#1 NXT TakeOver: New York
WWE kick started WrestleMania weekend in splendid fashion by delivering an excellent NXT Takeover.
I can't say I have had the chance to watch a great deal of NXT, however their performance and storytelling abilities are that far ahead of the main roster.
It certainly does make the WWE a better product, having both NXT and NXT UK. I know understand why many choose these two shows over the main roster. The crowd was electric (mostly) and they definitely gave the main roster the standards in which to beat.
While watching this show, I did not find anything particularly bad about it overall, although a few minor things that weren't too bad but did stand out. I do think that the Matt Riddle vs Velveteen Dream match was something of a display of both dominance and somewhat of a spotfest.
These two men are both eccentric characters, but I would of thought the fluidity of the match would of been done a little better. Riddle absolutely demolished The Dream for most of the match and should have won. It's good though, in a way, to end Riddle's streak now so that his career doesn't go the way of Goldberg or Asuka after they lost for the first time.
The women's fatal four way match was fairly good, however it seemed that some of the competitors lacked chemistry with each other. Kairi Sane and Io Sharai both are amazing talents and I can't wait to see how they do on the main roster. I just hope they don't suffer the same fate as their fellow country woman Asuka.
WWE can say what they like, but they do not give these Japanese stars the opportunity to be champions very often. TakeOver was a missed opportunity to crown either of these two as champion or even Bianca Belair. Shayna is main roster ready and has crushed all the women in NXT, but hopefully they will fix this issue at the next NXT TakeOver.
I found the match between Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole to be both entertaining and mediocre at the same time. I noticed that there seemed to be either a communication issue between them or a timing issue.
There were moments of awkward exchanges in the ring throughout most of the match. Gargano played the underdog role well, however kicking out Cole's finisher that many times was something I felt, sold Cole's finisher short. It's ok to kick out once from a finisher, however doing it so often made the Superkick and The Last Shot look weak and sold the moves short.
A finisher should only be used to end a match. If the match is good, maybe do one kickout from a finisher, but not multiple times. The Undisputed Era getting involved was a nice touch to paint Gargano as the underdog. I still really enjoyed it and felt that it delivered very well.
The NXT UK match was an absolute mugging between Dunne and WALTER. I have honestly never witnessed such brutality in a match with the joint manipulation, hard body chops and other devastating maneuvers.
People have said this went too long, however I didn't think it did. We were getting a look at British Strong Style wrestling. It was disappointing to see Pete Dunne lose his title to newcomer Walter, however Dunne may be about to head to the main roster.
The War Raiders vs Aleistair Black and Ricochet and Pete Dunne vs WALTER were easily the two best matches of the night for me.
They were both physical and brutal matches and they absolutely delivered. It was great to see the respect between the War Raiders and Black/Ricochet after the match. It was a fitting fairwell for Black & Ricochet to be permanent members of the main roster.
Overall NXT TakeOver: New York was a huge success and they continue to prove why they are better than the main roster. I would rate this PPV a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
#2 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony
The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony took place on the night before WrestleMania 35. It certainly had it's fair share of controversy with Bret Hart being attacked by a fan in attendance. There was also the induction of a controversial individual, the Honky Tonk Man.
We also got to see an induction of the most controversial faction in pro wrestling in D-X. There was also many questions asked why people like Torrie Wilson and Brutus ' The Barber ' Beefcake were inducted when they didn't win any titles.
To begin with, what happened to Bret Hart was totally wrong at the ceremony. He is a cancer survivor and also survived a stroke. The young man in question ( Zac Madsen) was obviously either not aware of The Hitman's health issues or wasn't concerned what effect this could have on Bret.
WWE was incredibly lucky with how quickly the Superstars at ring side responded, but it does make you question the security team that WWE possesses, along with what mind set was the attacker in at the time.
The Superstars who responded quickly like Dash Wilder, The New Day and others were all heroes, and did their best to protect the Hitman after the attacker was being subdued/beat up by Travis Browne.
It was a bittersweet moment for wrestling fans seeing The Honky Tonk Man getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He has been a very outspoken person against WWE in the past, particularly against other wrestlers like Bret Hart and others. It's interesting because Honky Tonk Man was approached about being inducted into the Hall of Fame several years ago, however he turned it down
I guess the saying that time heals old wounds and anything can happen in WWE, is true. We have seen WWE welcome Hulk Hogan back again ( this appearance he made was to induct Brutus Beefcake). It shows that the company are always willing to do things like this, just for the fans.
It was great seeing Harlem Heat, D-X and every other inductee getting into the Hall Of Fame as it was well deserved. I do find it annoying how people question whether or not certain people belong in the Hall Of Fame.
That is not a call for the fans to make, as WWE decides who is worthy. People like Torrie Wilson and Brutus Beefcake may not have won titles, but being inducted into the HOF is about more than just being a champion. It was their colorful personalities and contributions to the business that earned them their place.
Jake ' The Snake ' Roberts, Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper were never world champions in their tenures with WWE, and nobody is bothered about that.
Once again, it proves the Hall of Fame is not just about championship wins, it's about how people have earned it after years of hard work, being larger than life personalities and being respectful of the contributions the individual made to the business.
#3 WWE WrestleMania 35
I must say that seeing how the whole event played out for the company, it was a success. We saw many championships change hands, beginning what could be a new era for WWE. It was excellent to see the three faces (Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch) win their respective championship matches.
The other matches on the card mostly had the right results except for Roman Reigns v Drew McIntyre. McIntyre really needed that win to cement himself as a top heel in the company.
The Women's tag team championship match was also bizarre. It was fully expected that Sasha Banks and Bayley would retain to give the belts some credibility, however WWE chose the IIconics to win.
The only reasons i can think why Boss N Hug connection possibly didn't win is either that Vince wasn't happy with their title reign, they are getting split up in the Superstar Shakeup or they both want to return to singles competition. It may have something to do with Sasha's personal issues. Either way it was a swerve.
A match that really irked me at WrestleMania 35 was the No Holds Barred Match between Triple H and Batista. To their credit, they still did but on a brutal affair, but you could see that neither man was in ring shape.
They both looked completely worn out early in the match and seemed to struggle getting through it. Had they both been younger, I would have enjoyed it, however with both men being 50 years old, this match should not have happened.
It was slow and plodding for most of it. It really shouldn't have been given any longer than 12 minutes, however it turned out to be 20 minutes. They could have waited till Saudi Arabia to do it, considering they like nostalgia matches.
Many people have been critical about the botched ending to the Women's Main Event, however I thought this ending was necessary for the set up of next year's rematch. Lynch needed to pin or submit Rousey to prove she can beat her.
Becky has already beat Charlotte numerous times over the last year, so a win over her wouldn't mean as much. Rousey should have swallowed her pride and agreed to take the pin before the match, instead of worrying about how others would think about her.
There were a few other minor issues with matches I noticed. There seemed to be hardly any chemistry between AJ Styles and Randy Orton, maybe down to the fact that there was no stakes involved and they had never faced each other in a program before WrestleMania.
There was also the placement of the Universal title match, which seemed to be a last minute change, yet was good for what it was. I also feel that WWE needs to add some stakes to the winners of the Battle Royals to actually make people care about them, and not just used as a means to get every superstar on the card.
Overall despite the issues mentioned above, I definitely feel that this WrestleMania was the best one we have had in a number of years.
John Cena roasting Elias was definitely a throwback to the Ruthless Aggression Era. Most of the matches delivered and it seems that change is here. I would rate WrestleMania 35 a generous 4 out of 5 stars.
#4 WWE Monday Night Raw
It would certainly be a stretch to say Monday Night Raw was a great show, considering it was the Raw after WrestleMania. I felt that the show delivered in certain spots, yet missed the mark in others.
The crowd were incredibly brutal in the tag team main event match, after The Bar ruined a possible WWE and Universal title unification match between Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston. It was predictable that there would be interference, as there is no chance WWE would air a match of such stakes on free tv. A match of such consequences would only be reserved for special PPV's like Money in the Bank.
Seeing Sami Zayn return to Raw this week was excellent. He put on a decent match with Finn Balor, however his subsequent loss to Balor and abrupt heel turn really dampened his return.
The fact that he came across like a generic heel and lost his return match, says it all about how WWE officials view The Underdog from the Underground. He should have come back and went after Bobby Lashley as a baby face. He got good crowd reactions when he came out and WWE ruined it by turning him.
It was great to see Lars Sullivan make his debut finally and boy did he make a statement, demolishing Kurt Angle.
We can expect big things from ' The Freak ' and he will probably be pushed heavily. It was a shame that we never got to see any other NXT callups debut, however they might be saved until the Superstar shakeup next week. The likely candidates would be Kairi Sane, Shayna Baszler, The Undisputed Era and perhaps Velveteen Dream.
The Undertaker returning this week was also a massive surprise, considering many thought he was retired. He may have just confirmed to us who he will face in Saudi Arabia next month, by destroying Elias.
Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey were absent from Raw, due to having finished their commitments to WWE for the time being. Rousey may return later in the year or early next year if she chooses to, while Lesnar is preparing himself for his upcoming match against Daniel Cormier.
I found this episode of Raw much more tolerable than other episodes, perhaps because it was stacked even with Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar or Ronda Rousey being on there. We possibly found out who Becky Lynch will face next in Lacey Evans. The only thing that really let the episode down was not giving Dean Ambrose a proper send off. I would still rate this episode of Raw a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
#5 WWE Smackdown Live
Smackdown Live really does deserve to be known as the ' A ' show because they focus on the in ring action and usually tell great stories. It wouldn't be totally insane to say that they achieve more in 2 hours than Raw does with 3 hours.
With Smackdown immediately after a PPV, they are already preparing us for the next feud or the continuation of others. Most of the storylines have excellent build up and this week was no different. The company planted the seeds for possible up and coming feuds, such as The New Day vs The Bar and Randy Orton vs Ali.
It was a thing of both beauty, yet a bizarre choice to put a Smackdown tag team title match between The Usos and The Hardy Boyz on a free episode of Smackdown, rather than on a PPV. It was a dream match up and deserved a PPV spot. What was even more shocking was Lars Sullivan showing up after the match and laying waste to The Hardy Boyz.
Seeing The New Day take on The Bar and Drew McIntyre was something of an unusual call, considering how McIntyre was taken away during the commercial break so as to not be part of the end result ( to keep him looking strong as a top heel). Also seeing virtually a repeat of what happened on Raw between Lacey Evans and Becky Lynch, although Evans got the upperhand this time.
The IIconics faced a team of enhancement talent and won the match easily. It will be interesting to see who Paige has in mind to face the duo next, with some speculation going to Kairi Sane and Io Shirai or former Absolution members Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
Either of these would be a great choice. Also having the IIconics hold the Women's tag titles would give the other women on Smackdown something to fight for, as the women have been neglected on there.
Overall not a bad episode of Smackdown. I particularly enjoyed the brief altercation between Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman. Sami Zayn displaying his heel attitude was cringeworthy with how generic it was.
There was no Daniel Bryan, Rowan, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles or Asuka this week and the show certainly felt it at times. Still it delivered us results. I'd rate it about 3.75 out of 5 stars.
Thank you for reading and please comment below what you thought of WrestleMania week.
