Botched Spot

I don’t know if Wrestlemania 33 lived up to being the ultimate thrill ride, but overall I thought it was one of the best Wrestlemanias in years, with some really good matches, surprises, and nothing that was too glaringly bad. Sure, it was way too long, but I was prepared for that after last year’s snoozefest.

I thought the pre-show kicked everything off to a good start even though I was wrong on all of my predictions. In fairness I didn’t know that Mojo had a football buddy in the crowd, otherwise I would have picked him over the friendless Braun Strowman. Even so, I thought the ATGMBR was fun and fast paced, and while I’d like to get upset about Braun’s early elimination or Sami not winning, it’s not like the match matters for anything.

Other than that, the cruiserweight match was really good (even though I would’ve liked to see Austin Aries win), and the Intercontinental Championship match was…there. I know some people were upset that this match was on the pre-show, but with the lackluster build and match I think it was right where it belonged.

As for the main card, I liked that it opened up with the biggest surprise of all: Shane McMahon actually having a good match. I could go down a list of everything that irks me about his performance and him even being in a match at Wrestlemania, but as far as what I was expecting and what I got, it was way better! Unfortunately I think all of the hardcore spots at the end of the show made it hard for Kevin Owens and Jericho to win the crowd over in their match. Owens winning the US Title was still good, but I think it would have made a better impression elsewhere on the card.

My only two wrong predictions on the main Wrestlemania card were back to back: The Raw Women’s Championship match and the tag team title match. I’ve expected Sasha to turn heel for months now, how was I supposed to know she wouldn’t do it at Wrestlemania? I still liked seeing Bayley’s successful title defense, although I was disappointed to not see any new direction for the division in the match or at Raw the next night. And while I knew the Hardys were close to debuting, I didn’t expect to see them back at Wrestlemania, especially after they were in a ladder match the night before. Their surprise return was delightful, even if they weren’t fully “broken”.

The mixed tag match with Cena and Nikki wasn’t great, although it was always more about the proposal than the in ring work. It was funny seeing Cena sell Miz’s weak offense for so long when we see him bounce back from finishers and huge power moves in every other match he’s in.

By the time Rollins vs. Triple H got going, I really started to feel the length of the show, and it only got worse during the WWE Championship match. Bray vs. Orton didn’t even seem bad to me as far as all the wrestling goes, but Wyatt’s new “power” of projecting bugs onto the ring was embarrassing and it didn’t even wind up helping Bray in the end!

And while I’m not a huge fan of Goldberg and Lesnar, especially when they’re fighting for a World Title in 2017, I have to admit their championship match was really good and helped pick the pace of the show way up. They only used four different moves, and yet it was perfect for what it was. It was also great seeing the Smackdown Women’s Championship match moved up to the main card, even if they had to wrestle like they were in fast forward.

Unfortunately, the pace of the show went back down with Roman Reigns vs. the Undertaker. As I’ve said before, I think Undertaker is wrestling way too late in his career, and while this match won’t tarnish his legacy, I think it would’ve been better for him to go out on his feud with Brock at Wrestlemania 30.

So on a scale of thrill rides, I’d say Wrestlemania was a “solid and enjoyable” thrill ride, if not an “ultimate” one. There were several good-to-great matches without any celebrity involvement or any legends pushing around younger talent, and even though there was a concert, it didn’t last THAT long. Ultimately, it was a good show with some good matches and a few fun surprises- that’s all I can ask of Wrestlemania!