The_Dash_IrelandAdmin- Posts : 24
Join date : 2019-04-04
WrestleMania 35 Graded
Mon Apr 08, 2019 12:33 am
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Buddy Murphy (c) vs Tony Nese
Result: Tony Nese
This match was ok, but it didn't get the attention it deserved due to the cruiserweights incessantly being placed in the pre-show. However, it had a few good spots.
Grade: B-
Women's Battle Royal
Result: Carmella
Honestly, this match had a good surprise end but it still lacks in captivating our attention.
Grade: C
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Result: Braun Strowman
If I know anything about this battle royal and patterns of how winners are treated, Braun is not gonna have a very eventful next 365 days. The shenanigans with the 2 SNL cast members were just plain silly. Plus there were no returns which is a huge downside and there were some botches involving Heath Slater and Mustafa Ali.
Grade: C
Raw Tag Team Championships: The Revival (c) vs Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Result: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
This had some nice storyline that we never knew we were really invested in. While there wasn't much to the match, it was a positive to see Curt Hawkins finally end his losing streak.
Result: B-
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Seth Rollins
Result: Seth Rollins
We saw this coming and WWE couldn't afford to give Lesnar a win. It felt rushed and it was weird how it was placed first, we haven't seen that since WrestleMania 27. Oh well, I'll give it some points for Brock and Seth's brutalities to each other and the fact that Seth won.
Grade: B
AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
Result: AJ Styles
This match had so much potential only to fall flat and become boring. I'm a fan of both Orton and AJ, but they could have done so much more in this match. It should have been a No DQ just to show how crazy the 2 can get. However, that didn't happen.
Grade: C
SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Usos (c) vs The Bar vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev vs Aleister Black and Ricochet
Result: The Usos
This match was pretty decent showcasing the might of each team. Aleister Black and Ricochet and the Usos were the star of this match. Aleister and Ricochet are on the rise and creative should never lose sight of these NXT favorites. Plus the Usos always have a great tag team match with their in-ring abilities and amazing chemistry working as a unit.
Grade: B
Falls Count Anywhere: Shane McMahon vs The Miz
Result: Shane McMahon
This match was crazy and exactly what we needed. It had blood, it had wicked falls, and it had some great storytelling to it. While Dave Meltzer will probably dump on it, I still liked this match. One of my "Oh Shit" moments was the moment just whacked Shane in the face with a monitor and he took an 8 feet fall. When you see 2 superstars trying to kill each other, it's gonna be a hell of a match in some cases. The ending was a shock twist, but it was genius booking and I applaud creative for it.
Grade: A
Women's Tag Team Championship: Boss 'N' Hug Connection (c) vs Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs Nia Jax and Tamina vs The IIconics
Result: The IIconics
I was hoping for Phoenix and Natalya, but this too was an ending that I support. It goes to show just how opportunistic the IIconics can be to make sure they win at all costs. Although there wasn't much to this match, there was a satisfying ending.
Grade: B+
WWE Championship Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kofi Kingston
Result: Kofi Kingston
This match literally had those of us here at Broad Culture at the edge of our seats. It was quite the match with storytelling and the 2 athletes giving it their all. This too had smart booking and even broke a curse in the WWE. If a match can have this much excitement and storytelling that pays off with enough hype and audience interest, I'll give it high marks. This was better than the letdown known as AJ Styles vs Shinuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34.
Grade: A
US Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs Rey Mysterio
Result: Samoa Joe
Obviously, Rey was not gonna have this match won. With how small he is and the power of Samoa Joe's submission hold that I'm not gonna bother to type incorrectly, we knew how it would all end.
Grade: C
Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre
Result: Roman Reigns
This could have been a good match if it had been No DQ. However, it fell flat not just because of it being a throwaway match and the audience was distracted from a fight going on somewhere in the stadium.
Grade: C
John Cena/Elias segment
This was a special moment with a great and hilarious aspect added to it. I thought it was just gonna be another segment of stupid schpeal from Elias, but then John Cena came out in his former heel attire from the Thuganomics era. It did not disappoint as Cena's diss on Elias was hilarious. This was something many fans had been waiting for for years.
Grade: A-
No Holds Barred: Triple H vs Batista
Result: Triple H
Remember what I said about wrestlers trying to kill each other and cause so much pain? This applies here. There should have been more blood in my opinion. I'm a little old school as I like seeing some blood in matches.
Grade: B+
Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
Result: Baron Corbin
I mean, I didn't care for this match much as it was just a squash to put Corbin over. However, I will consider the emotional ending and the audience reactions. Had this just been another singles match with nothing special attached to it, I probably would have given this match a worse rating.
Grade: B-
Intercontinental Championship: Bobbly Lashley (c) vs The Demon Finn Balor
Result: Finn Balor
I gotta be honest, I'm tired of seeing this feud, Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley exhausted what feud they had that I didn't really care for. Here's the thing, I'm a fan of Finn Balor and get excited anytime I see the paint. Plus, Finn Balor knows how to do the best he can for a match. I just hope they treat Finn better and give him quality feuds that won't have overkill or lack chemistry.
Grade: B
Winner Take All Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey (Raw) vs Charlotte (SmackDown) vs Becky Lynch
Result: Becky Lynch
Oh sweet payoff. Lynch finally got a big ol' WrestleMania moment and the audience absolutely loved it. In the buildup to WrestleMania, the 3 badass women just couldn't stay away from wanting to destroy each other. They've had great matches and it certainly showed here. It was also nice to see Ronda have her first pinfall loss as fans wanted to show a flaw to Ronda now and knock her down a few pegs. This really showed a great story, and it ended as intended where it was always supposed to be Becky defeating Ronda.
Grade: A+
Final Remarks: This year's WrestleMania had some decent matches and a couple great ones, but that's not a bad thing. It sat in the nice average range. Ever since I returned to watching wrestling in 2017, I would say this was the best of the Manias in the past 2-3 years. WrestleMania 33 lacked any smart decisions and was a nightmare to fans. WrestleMania 34 was too unpredictable and still found a way to let down fans. However, this year creative managed to give some matches with good storytelling and finally listened to their audience and gave them what they wanted. Props to WWE for a good job done.
Result: Tony Nese
This match was ok, but it didn't get the attention it deserved due to the cruiserweights incessantly being placed in the pre-show. However, it had a few good spots.
Grade: B-
Women's Battle Royal
Result: Carmella
Honestly, this match had a good surprise end but it still lacks in captivating our attention.
Grade: C
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Result: Braun Strowman
If I know anything about this battle royal and patterns of how winners are treated, Braun is not gonna have a very eventful next 365 days. The shenanigans with the 2 SNL cast members were just plain silly. Plus there were no returns which is a huge downside and there were some botches involving Heath Slater and Mustafa Ali.
Grade: C
Raw Tag Team Championships: The Revival (c) vs Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Result: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
This had some nice storyline that we never knew we were really invested in. While there wasn't much to the match, it was a positive to see Curt Hawkins finally end his losing streak.
Result: B-
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Seth Rollins
Result: Seth Rollins
We saw this coming and WWE couldn't afford to give Lesnar a win. It felt rushed and it was weird how it was placed first, we haven't seen that since WrestleMania 27. Oh well, I'll give it some points for Brock and Seth's brutalities to each other and the fact that Seth won.
Grade: B
AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
Result: AJ Styles
This match had so much potential only to fall flat and become boring. I'm a fan of both Orton and AJ, but they could have done so much more in this match. It should have been a No DQ just to show how crazy the 2 can get. However, that didn't happen.
Grade: C
SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Usos (c) vs The Bar vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev vs Aleister Black and Ricochet
Result: The Usos
This match was pretty decent showcasing the might of each team. Aleister Black and Ricochet and the Usos were the star of this match. Aleister and Ricochet are on the rise and creative should never lose sight of these NXT favorites. Plus the Usos always have a great tag team match with their in-ring abilities and amazing chemistry working as a unit.
Grade: B
Falls Count Anywhere: Shane McMahon vs The Miz
Result: Shane McMahon
This match was crazy and exactly what we needed. It had blood, it had wicked falls, and it had some great storytelling to it. While Dave Meltzer will probably dump on it, I still liked this match. One of my "Oh Shit" moments was the moment just whacked Shane in the face with a monitor and he took an 8 feet fall. When you see 2 superstars trying to kill each other, it's gonna be a hell of a match in some cases. The ending was a shock twist, but it was genius booking and I applaud creative for it.
Grade: A
Women's Tag Team Championship: Boss 'N' Hug Connection (c) vs Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs Nia Jax and Tamina vs The IIconics
Result: The IIconics
I was hoping for Phoenix and Natalya, but this too was an ending that I support. It goes to show just how opportunistic the IIconics can be to make sure they win at all costs. Although there wasn't much to this match, there was a satisfying ending.
Grade: B+
WWE Championship Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs Kofi Kingston
Result: Kofi Kingston
This match literally had those of us here at Broad Culture at the edge of our seats. It was quite the match with storytelling and the 2 athletes giving it their all. This too had smart booking and even broke a curse in the WWE. If a match can have this much excitement and storytelling that pays off with enough hype and audience interest, I'll give it high marks. This was better than the letdown known as AJ Styles vs Shinuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34.
Grade: A
US Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs Rey Mysterio
Result: Samoa Joe
Obviously, Rey was not gonna have this match won. With how small he is and the power of Samoa Joe's submission hold that I'm not gonna bother to type incorrectly, we knew how it would all end.
Grade: C
Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre
Result: Roman Reigns
This could have been a good match if it had been No DQ. However, it fell flat not just because of it being a throwaway match and the audience was distracted from a fight going on somewhere in the stadium.
Grade: C
John Cena/Elias segment
This was a special moment with a great and hilarious aspect added to it. I thought it was just gonna be another segment of stupid schpeal from Elias, but then John Cena came out in his former heel attire from the Thuganomics era. It did not disappoint as Cena's diss on Elias was hilarious. This was something many fans had been waiting for for years.
Grade: A-
No Holds Barred: Triple H vs Batista
Result: Triple H
Remember what I said about wrestlers trying to kill each other and cause so much pain? This applies here. There should have been more blood in my opinion. I'm a little old school as I like seeing some blood in matches.
Grade: B+
Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
Result: Baron Corbin
I mean, I didn't care for this match much as it was just a squash to put Corbin over. However, I will consider the emotional ending and the audience reactions. Had this just been another singles match with nothing special attached to it, I probably would have given this match a worse rating.
Grade: B-
Intercontinental Championship: Bobbly Lashley (c) vs The Demon Finn Balor
Result: Finn Balor
I gotta be honest, I'm tired of seeing this feud, Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley exhausted what feud they had that I didn't really care for. Here's the thing, I'm a fan of Finn Balor and get excited anytime I see the paint. Plus, Finn Balor knows how to do the best he can for a match. I just hope they treat Finn better and give him quality feuds that won't have overkill or lack chemistry.
Grade: B
Winner Take All Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey (Raw) vs Charlotte (SmackDown) vs Becky Lynch
Result: Becky Lynch
Oh sweet payoff. Lynch finally got a big ol' WrestleMania moment and the audience absolutely loved it. In the buildup to WrestleMania, the 3 badass women just couldn't stay away from wanting to destroy each other. They've had great matches and it certainly showed here. It was also nice to see Ronda have her first pinfall loss as fans wanted to show a flaw to Ronda now and knock her down a few pegs. This really showed a great story, and it ended as intended where it was always supposed to be Becky defeating Ronda.
Grade: A+
Final Remarks: This year's WrestleMania had some decent matches and a couple great ones, but that's not a bad thing. It sat in the nice average range. Ever since I returned to watching wrestling in 2017, I would say this was the best of the Manias in the past 2-3 years. WrestleMania 33 lacked any smart decisions and was a nightmare to fans. WrestleMania 34 was too unpredictable and still found a way to let down fans. However, this year creative managed to give some matches with good storytelling and finally listened to their audience and gave them what they wanted. Props to WWE for a good job done.
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