To be honest, I’ve been dreading this year’s show alongside most people. 34 from last year wasn’t necessarily a bad show, but in hindsight it was a rather boring show that had some end results that didn’t quite make sense. This year’s buildup, however, has been abysmal! I don’t know what’s up WWE’s ass, but outside of maybe 2 to 5 matches, the “Road To Wrestlemania” seems like a dirt path that hasn’t been paved yet. With the show now a few days behind us, is it the flaming 5-car pileup a lot of people have been suspecting it would be? Well, let’s take a look at my review of the show (As well as Raw. Skipping Smackdown this year, cause....yeah, you’ll see.), and see if there are any bodies within the wreckage. Fingers crossed.
(No Pre-Show section this year. Due to.....issues, I wasn’t able to watch it in time. I saw a little bit, but not enough to include it in the review)
Main Card
Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins (Universal Title Match)
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Actual Winner: Seth Rollins
- The show starts off with perhaps one of the most bizarre opening matches in recent memory. Paul Heyman comes storming down to the ring, furious that Brock wasn’t going on last. He goes on further, saying that if they wouldn’t go on last, him & Brock would leave. Instead, they had this match first, with Brock entering the ring first, and Seth second. Before the bell actually tung, Brock proceeds to maul Seth outside the ring, and it’s a pretty typical Lesnar-style mauling. Eventually, Seth manages to get into the ring, and Brock executes his typical “UFC meets WWE” style of wrestling, while Seth can barely fight back. Eventually, he does get some energy back, and manages to get a low blow on Lesnar (The referee gets knocked out in the scuffle, but another comes in not long after). Eventually, Seth manages to pin Brock for the win. Just a weird way to start things off, and a quick one as well.....but a satisfying conclusion at the same time.
AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
Prediction: ?
Actual Winner: AJ Styles
- I didn’t have a prediction for this match. The buildup to this wasn’t half bad, and it was one of those rare times where it seemed like either side could win, and the crowd would probably enjoy it.
- AJ heads to the ring first, followed by Orton. Things start off with some grappling, during which Orton goes for an RKO but fails. From there both guys trade control of the match: first it’s AJ after he jumps out of the ring onto Orton, then Randy has it for a while (Throws AJ around, then gets him back in the ring, and grapples him), then Styles manages to get out of the grapple. Weirdly enough, it looked like Orton’s left knee was hurt somehow, but whether it was fake or not I’m not sure. AJ manages to get a Calf Crusher in, but ends up letting go because Randy grabbed the bottom rope. Styles goes for the pin, but Orton kicks out & gets some offense in. After a superplex, both wrestlers were weakened, but Orton tried to get the pin. Randy gets some energy back into his system, starting with a DDT, and then a RKO, but AJ kicks out of that & lands a jumpkick. Orton tries again, and actually lands the move, but Styles kicks out. Orton tries to get AJ onto the ropes for a 3rd RKO, but once again AJ slips out of it. The two make it outside the ring, then Styles lands 2 phenominal forearm, with the 2nd one inside the ring for the win. A good fight overall!
The Usos vs The Bar vs Shinsuke & Rusev vs Ricochet & Alister Black (Fatal 4-Way Tag Championship)
Prediction: ?
Actual Winner: The Usos
- I was so confused by this match. Kinda like AJ & Orton, all of the teams here deserved the tag titles in some capacity. What left me scratching my head was just how random everything seemed in the ring. It came across like a Tornado Tag Team match, but without the normal tornado tag rules.
- Usos are first. The Bar was second. Shinsuke & Rusev were 3rd, and Lana followed her husband out (Seemed kinda cute). Ricochet & Alister Black were last, and Black’s entrance was awesome as always. Jay Uso & Black were first to square off, but Shaemus tags in to get some offense. Rusev comes in for a bit, but then he tagged his partner Shinsuke into the match. Ricochet & Nakamura fight, then Cesaro gets Nakamura out. Shaemus joins his partner in beating up Ricochet, and Cesaro keeps him in a hold. Jimmy Uso breaks it up, and then Alister comes in & almost gets the win, but Nakamura breaks it up. He gets tagged in & attacks Black, but get Rusev back in and almost pins Ricochet (Who got tagged in beforehard), but Ricochet kicks out. Cesaro gets Rusev out, then Shaemus & Cesaro & Usos get involved, then Rusev & Shinsuke get involved, and the match turns into a giant cluster. Alister takes Shinsuke out, then Ricochet almost gets pin but the other teams come back in to break it up, turning things into a cluster again. The Usos fight back once again, and manage to keep the titles in the end.
The Miz vs Shane McMahon (Falls Count Anywhere)
Prediction: The Miz
Actual Winner: Shane Mcmahon
- Now here was a match that had some pretty decent buildup. For months, The Miz & Shame McMahon had been together as a team, and their chemistry worked really well. Due to them losing the tag titles a month or two ago, Shane turned on Miz, and leading up to Wrestlemania things were building up between the former teammates. Miz got a lot of sympathy, and became quite the babyface (Something that hasn’t been done in a while). Then, just a week or two before the big day, the fight between the two became a Falls Count Anywhere match.....and it was damn good!
- Shane was the first to the ring, and in a disappointing twist, the Mean Street Posse didn’t come out with him. The Miz was second to the ring, and the crowd was behind him 100 percent. Shane’s first action was the mess with Miz’s Dad, and this distracted the Hollywood A-Lister. In a move that became a meme almost overnight, Miz’s father comes into the ring, and strikes a fighting pose so weak, it was fantastic. He & Shane traded a few blows, but ultimately fails. Miz makes it back in the ring to save his pop (Basically got him out of the ring), and to proceed to go all out on Shane. When they make their way into the crowd, it actually gets kind of violent. Miz manages to go for 3 pins, and each time Shane kicks out, yet he never lost control. Shane does get a little bit of offense back, and tries to leave Miz behind by climbing up some rigging. Miz follows, and once he’s cornered Shane begins to play the sympathy card pretty hard. Miz doesn’t buy it, and then grabs his opponent for a flip off the rigging......and Shane wins.....by a technicality....I think.......WHAT!!??
Boss & Hug Connection vs Nia & Tamina vs The Iconics vs Natalya & Beth Phoenix (Fatal 4-Way Women’s Tag Championship)
Prediction: Boss & Hug Connection
Actual Winner: The Iconics
- Honestly, I’m not gonna type much here. Kinda like the 4-way from earlier, this came across like a cluster. Whereas I enjoyed the men’s match, this one was just meh. Even the notes I have don’t inspire me enough to write things down here in detail. To give it a little bit of credit, Beth Phoenix was pretty good. She didn’t come across as rusty in any way, and if they brought her back to Raw or Smackdown, she might be a good draw for a program with somebody. Sadly, we got perhaps the worst tag team in the Iconics winning the match by literarily stealing the pin. Easily the worst match of the night.
Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Title Match)
Prediction: Kofi Kingston
Actual Winner: Kofi Kingston
- There were definitely a few “Feel Good” moments on this show, but I think this one might be the best out of them all. Though this came about completely by accident, not to mention because of pressure from the fans, it still would up getting just about everybody to smile. Both men were fantastic in the ring, with Daniel Bryan playing up his "Psycho Vegan/Humanitarian" really well (Even though I think he works better as a face), and Kofi coming across as highly reminiscent as Bryan from 5 years ago. Another thing I liked was that the rest of the New Day & Eric Rowan didn't interfere for their respective side, keeping things pretty personal between the two. All thoughout the match, everybody in the arena was completely on Kofi's side (There might have been a few that weren't), and any time that Bryan got offense in, the boos were loud. There are definitely some matches throughout the night that had a nice ending, but this one was easily the best!
Rey Mysterio vs Samoa Joe (U.S. Championship Match)
Prediction: Rey Mysterio
Actual Winner: Samoa Joe
- The shortest match of the night, and the worst match of the night. It’s kind of sad, as I was looking forward to a “David vs Goliath” style of fight. Boy oh boy, did that optimism drain away quick! Rey is the first to come out, and his moment was nice, and Joe came out second. Joe managed to get in some offense pretty early, but not long after Rey goes for a 619. It fails, and almost immediately he got put into the Cocina Clutch, & fell right asleep, with Samoa Joe as the winner. Now, due to Rey ankle issue, I can see why they would go for something quick......but it didn’t have to be a single minute!
Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Actual Winner: Roman Reigns
- I think this match is the first time in years where people were actively in Roman Reigns’s corner. Given that he beat his Leukemia into remission, it would probably make someone into a monster if they booed a cancer survivor. Him announcing in October last year that he had the disease basically gave him a medically induced babyface turn.....but I digress.
- Drew comes out first, and he’s got the NYC police bagpile band playing along with his theme. Reigns is next, and for what seemed like a flashback to the middle of this decade, the crowd was actually behind him. In fact the cheering from the audience last for quite a bit. In anycase, the two men had an intense staredown, only to trade a barrage of punches, kicks, and throws a few seconds afterwards. Drew actually goes for a pin in the early moment, only for Reigns to kick out. Drew keeps control of the match for a bit, but Roman gets a little time in. Reigns gets a hold put on him, but manages to stand up and get out of it. Roman misses a move (Forgot what it was), and Drew gets right back on him for some punches, and a suplex onto the floor. Staying in control for a little more, he goes for a second pin, only for Roman to kick out. Reigns gets a tiny bit of offense in, only for Drew to flip him onto the mat shortly afterwards. Feeling tired at this point, Reigns looks beat, but after some taunting from the Scottish Psychopath, he basically taps into his inner Incredible Hulk, and just gets an immediate boost of energy. Reigns wins the match by landing a brutal spear on Drew, and pinning him without any resistance. Definitely a feel good moment of the night!
Batista vs Triple H (No Holds Barred)
Prediction: Batista
Actual Winner: Triple H
- Right away, the buildup to this match was terrible. For starters, they made Batista the heel for no reason! He’s come off of many successful movies, especially both of the Guardians of the Galaxy flicks. Everything he did came across as weak, with the exception of him beating up Ric Flair, which was kinda scary to be honest. Triple H didn’t look that much better, but at least he had the home advantage. Then it comes to their entrances: Batista got some quasi-Hollywood escort, while Triple H got a dorky Mad Max intro on a post-apocalyptic dune buggy (Which looked kinda awesome). From there.....well, I’m not sure.
- The match itself wasn’t terrible. Due to the weak buildup, a lot of it was underwhelming, but it wasn’t bad. There was a lot of physicality from both men, and some of the spots weren’t half bad (The spot where Batista’s nose ring got pulled out looked brutal). What ultimately made me go “Meh” was when Flair showed up to give Triple H a hand (Despite not being in any of H’s promos building up the match), and the fact that Hunter won the man, when Batista said this was basically his last ever time in the ring. Absolutely frustrating!
Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
Prediction: Kurt Angle
Actual Winner: Baron Corbin
- Right away things seemed screwey about this match, for the simple fact that John Cena wasn’t picked for this match. Angle & Cena had numerous bouts over the years, and it was their first encounter that birthed the term “Ruthless Aggression”, not to mention the subsequent era in WWE at that point in time. Secondly, the reasoning behind Kurt picking seemed odd, as it related to both of their terms as GM of Raw. Given the rumors swirling around Kurt & where he was going after he retired from active competition....people should have lowered their expectations.
- Anyways, Corbin goes down to the ring first, and there’s nothing that separates his entrance or attire here than on any other night on Raw. Angle is next, and the fans went nuts. He goes for the offense once the match starts, but Corbin is unusually slippery, and gets some attacks in. Kurt gets creative in avoiding the blows, and gets in a suplex in the process. Goes for a pin, but Corbin kicks out. Angle goes back in for an ankle lock, but Corbin gets out. Then Corbin goes for a Deep 6 and goes for the pin, but Kurt barely kicks out of the move. Angle goes for an Angle Slam, but doesn’t get the pin. Then he tries another ankle lock, and gets thrown into the turnbuckle for his troubles. Luckily, he recovers in time to get some suplex on Corbin, but fails in giving his opponent a moonsault. This gives Baron the window he needed to win the match.....barf! Luckily, Angle is given a moment in the ring to speak with the fans before he left, so there was that.
Bobby Lashley vs Finn Balor (Intercontinental Championship)
Prediction: Finn Balor
Actual Winner: Finn Balor
- Usually when a match is place within the deadspot of Wrestlemania, that means it’s one they wanted to get out of the way earlier in the show, but couldn’t because of timing. In regards to this match, not much was being built up, and thus kind of deserves being here. That said....it was actually okay! Not amazing. Just okay.
- Lashey & Lio Rush come down to the ring first, and may I ask.....what the hell is with the contacts Lashley is wearing!? It makes him look like a bald Michael Jackson werewolf. Luckily, Balor’s entrance wasn’t dumb, as we haven’t seen the demon in what seems like ages. Finn immediately goes for the offense, but Bobby turns things around for himself quick and gets the Demon to the floor, but his infernal foe gets some attacks in. He’s then met with a spear outside the ring, and when the two get back inside the squared circle, he gets another spear, and almost gets pinned. Luckily he kicks out, and delivers Lashley a coup de grace for the win. Again, nothing amazing before the main event, but it wasn’t boring either.
Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair (Winner Takes All Women’s Championship)
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Actual Winner: Becky Lynch
- Two things. On the one hand, the right woman won the match. The story leading up to this match had been going on since late last year. All thanks to an accidental punch, Becky Lynch has been getting stronger and stronger, not to mention more competent on the microphone, and more credible as a wrestler in WWE (Despite having some accolades outside of the company). If The Man didn’t win this fight, it would mean that the buildup was all meant for nothing, and it would show to the crowd & those watching at home that it never mattered. Luckily, the right choice was made, and Becky won!
- On the other hand.....this match had so many problems! For starters, this should have been between Ronda & Becky only. Charlotte added a bit of randomness to things, but at the same time she really didn’t provide anything of note, and her winning the title from Asuka (Who seems like an abuse victim in the company at this point) felt cheap. On top of that, this bout came across as incredibly rehearsed. For the first ever Women’s main event at a Wrestlemania, it should have come across as incredibly organic. Instead, it was stiff, full of botches, and not quite as energetic as people thought it was going to me. Anthony “Missionary” Thomas of the Wrestling Soup podcast said it on their WM35 review episode (Which you can listen to here) that a Women’s match will never headline any future Wrestlemania ever again, and pins the blame all on this bout. While I would like to think otherwise, I reluctantly agree with the points he’s made.
Overall Impression & Rating
Wrestlemania 35 was shockingly good. It had some big issues, and the end result for some of the matches could be questionable, but it’s amazing at how much fun things were. Maybe the overall spectacle wasn’t a 5-car pileup, but perhaps a 2-car instead. A considerable improvement over last year’s show, and once I most certainly recommend.
Wrestlemania 35 gets a 7.2 to 7.5 out of 10.
Raw Review
Hour 1: (Missing 1st half-hour)
- We have Baron Corbin coming out, gloating about his victory over Kurt Angle, and the crowd was almost as mad at him as they were at Roman Reigns back in 2017. Ironically, Angle comes out, and the crowd is right behind him. He wishes Corbin luck in his future endeavors, but grimly says “Bad Luck”, and give him an Angle Slam, then proceeded to put him in an ankle lock. This was short lived, as Lars Sullivan (Who was supposed to show up months ago) comes out, and proceeds to turn the olympian into ground beef, slamming him onto the mat, then landing a pretty brutal dive. Makes Kurt’s leaving active wrestling look pathetic!
- After this spectacle of stupidity, we got another one in the form of Alexa Bliss vs Bailey. This must have lasted maybe a little over 3 minutes, and it almost seemed like Bailey was being punished for something stupid, as it was a clean pin on the part of Alexa. Again, Bailey must have pissed somebody off in the back. It can be the only reason why she was decimated so quickly.
Hour 2:
- Becky Lynch, fresh off her botched win, comes out to wild cheers from the crowd. She talks about how she was feeling, and thanking the crowd for sticking with her for as long as they did. She leaves the ring with a still positive crowd, when the “Southern Bell” Lacy Evans, comes down, and at first it seems like a cool encounter.....then Lacy lands a blow to her, and the two women proceed to fight. So the woman who walks down to the ring for the past few months, and has done nothing of note, is the first to try & take the titles......WHY!?
- We get a glimpse of Seth Rollins in the back, being interviewed by somebody new. He talks about why he accepted the challenge from Kofi Kingston (More on this in a moment), and speaks about some other stuff I can’t recall.
- Up next was a match between Ricochet & Alister Black vs Bobby Roode & Chad Gable. Alister’s entrance was a little screwed up, as his normal gimmick was not working, and crawled up from the floor instead. It was a good match for what it was, and they won. Afterwards, Roode & Gable proceeded to ambush them, showing off the potential for a heel turn. Might be interesting sometime down the road.
- We get a quick segment with Elias in the back, complaining about Cena coming out and ruining the concert he was going to host (A pretty cool moment from this past Sunday, as John Cena came back as his “Doctor of Thuganomics” character from last decade, and he brought his rap game. Huge wave of nostalgia if you ask me). He then said he was gonna come out a little later to sing, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
- Next up was Dean Ambrose vs Lashley, but it wasn’t really a match. For a guy that gave a good amount of time to WWE, this was a giant slap to the face. Lashley started out with a cheap heat move of creeping on Dean’s wife, and proceeded to basically have control the entire time. Things mercifully ended when Dean was slammed through the announce table. One third of the Shield’s exit everybody!
Hour 3:
- Hour 3 starts off (Technically in Hour 2's end) with a surprise return from Sami Zayn, and he asks for a match. Out comes Finn Balor (Minus the demon getup), and the two have a bout for the Intercontinental Title. It’s not half bad, with Finn managed to pin Sami for the win. Afterwards, Sami basically has a bitch fit, and seems to go back into his heel role he embraced nearly a year before. Barf!
- We get that Elias concert, and it was actually a rap similar to how Cena performed the night before. After saying the words dead man, we get a surprise appearance from the Undertaker, and it was easily the best spot of the night. Undertaker looked pretty good, as he was losing weight & getting back into shape. Again, the best spot of the night!
- Now it comes to the final match of the night. Seth Rollins vs Kofi Kingston for a winner takes all match (Announced in the half hour I missed). We never got this bout technically, as the two did face off....only for The Bar to screw things up, and then things turned into a tag team match. So as not to completely screw the fans, Kofi & Seth did get the win for a feel good moment. A weak one, but it was a feel good spot.
Overall Impression & Rating
Man......Raw was hot garbage! After the surprisingly good Wrestlemania this past Sunday, the Monday night afterwards felt like the exact opposite. There was little effort in essentially everything, and what little good there was felt like faint motes of light in the deepest darkness. Those motes keep this Monday Night Raw at the average point, but only just.
Raw gets 5 a out of 10, and that’s being kind.
And that was my review of Wrestlemania 35, not to mention Monday Night Raw. Again, 35 managed to surpass a lot of people’s expectation and ended up being a lot of fun. Raw, on the other hand, ended up being the biggest bait-and-switch dumpster fire after a Wrestlemania in a long time. Hell, I was gonna review Smackdown, but given how Raw played out, not to mention hearing how pathetic Tuesday was, I can only assume it was just as bad. Well, with this out of the way, Compilation Month 2.0 marches on, and in just a few days I got a review of a release that’s considerably more pleasing to the ears than what I started April out with. See you soon!
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If you want to see what I thought of last year’s Wrestlemania, check out the link below:
Wrestlemania 34 Review
Also, check out the video below on why we never really got the real “Winner Takes All” match. Absolutely infuriating!
WWE Raw April, 8 2019 Full Show Review & Results: RAW AFTER WRESTLEMANIA 35 WAS COMPLETE GARBAGE
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