WrestleMania 34
WrestleMania 34 was one for the ages as it saw the debut of Ronda Rousey after a year or so of rumors and of the first Women’s Battle Royal. Asuka’s unprecedented streak was pitted against Charlotte’s pay per view dominance and Roman Reigns looked to depose Brock Lesnar, as rumors circulate that he will return to UFC. Did AJ Styles retain against Shinsuke Nakamura in a bout that hasn’t been seen in this part of the world? Let’s dive in!
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
WrestleMania 34 kicked off with the annual Battle Royal. It was a by the numbers affair by all the mid carders involved but the ending made this year’s Battle Royal intriguing. Kane was faring well as he usually does in these types of matches until he was eliminated by Baron Corbin. He and Mojo Rawley appeared to have Matt Hardy eliminated until Bray Wyatt appeared and helped Matt win the match. This confirmed rumors that Bray has joined Matt’s fold and will be repackaged.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Order of elimination: Aiden English, Konnor, Curt Hawkins, R Truth, Primo Colon, Mike Kanellis, Tyler Breeze, Viktor, Zack Ryder, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Apollo, Shelton Benjamin, Rhyno, Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Sin Cara, Fandango, Heath Slater, Chad Gable, Titus O’Neil, Goldust, Tye Dillinger, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin
WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
205 Live would receive a new champion to the title vacated by the firing of Enzo Amore. As usual, the cruiserweight division provided a high-octane and underappreciated spectactle. The contest was intense, aerial, and properly showcased the talent of both competitors. Cedric ultimatley won the night after Mustafa missed a 405, which Cedric followed up with a Lumbar Check.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
The inaugural Women’s Battle Royal ultimately laid more groundwork for Bayley and Sasha Bank’s impending feud. As the field thinned, it seemed as if Sasha was going to buck the trend of her choosing to compete over her friendship with Bayley towards the end of this one after Bayley saved her from elimination at the hands of Sarah Logan. This time, Bayley eliminated her just as Sasha has done to her. Naomi was never eliminated and was forgotten about in the fray. Naomi quickly dispatched Bayley and won the first Women’s Battle Royal.
Winner: Naomi
Order of elimination: Carmella, Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose, Sonia Deville, Kairi Sane, Lana, Kavita Devi, Taynara Conti, Bianca Belair, Dakota Kai, Becky Lynch, Mickie James, Peyton Royce, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Sasha Banks, Bayley
WWE Intercontinental Title Match: The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
Seth Rollins made a memorable entrance to the ring with ice blue contacts and ring attire styled after the Night King from Game of Thrones. The Miz surprised everyone by competing without The Miztourage. This made for a smooth and thrilling match. As is custom with triple threat matches, near falls and late saves were plentiful. Finn Balor appeared to have the match won after giving The Miz a Coup de Grace. He came up short after Seth gave him a Stomp immediately afterwards, which allowed Seth to give Miz a Stomp for the pinfall and the title.
Winner: Seth Rollins
WWE Smackdown Women’s Title Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka
This match was heavily anticipated and didn’t disappoint at all. The two gave a classic performance from an action standpoint. Asuka countered a moonsault attempt with a triangle choke, which Charlotte converted into a Boston Crab. Charlotte had one of the moves of the night when she a Spanish Fly on Asuka. Charlotte ultimately won in stunning fashion by making the Empress of Tomorrow tap out to the Figure 8 after hitting a spear. The crowd and social media hasn’t been that stunned since the Undertaker’s first WrestleMania loss.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
WWE United States Title Match: Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev
Randy Orton entered this match as a grand slam champion. Barring self destruction, he’s a certain future hall of famer. His experience and ability to win any given match in any given instance made him a threat but Rusev was dominant in this short match. He seemed to be on track to win the match but was derailed by The Singh Factor. That opened the door for Jinder to give Rusev a Khallas Clutch to give the Modern Maharajah his second title run.
Winner: Jinder Mahal
Mixed Tag Team Match: Kurt Angle & Randy Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Ronda Rousey made her WWE ring debut and she looked solid. Overall, the match kept the crowd in it every step of the way. The Authority used every trick in the book to isolate the Olympians and prevent Ronda from getting involved. Things erupted when Ronda finally got to face Stephanie. The momentum changed hands throughout but Ronda & Kurt emerged victorious when Ronda was able to finally get Stephanie to submit to her dreaded arm bar.
Winners: Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey
SmackDown Tag Championship: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers
The repackaged Bludgeon Brothers have been dominant since they arrived in the tag team circuit and they operated as forces of nature on the big stage known as WrestleMania. The Usos and New Day had put together some classic matches in recent times but both were dominated by the former Wyatt Family members. Victory came with Kofi Kingston getting powerbombed by Harper from the second rope.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers
John Cena vs. Undertaker
This match was “impromptu” but was on tap for months. The Undertaker looked and moved as well as he had in years, thanks to his hip replacement. John basically jobbed to the Dead Man just like back when he was running with Bling Buchanan and making free styles. The match was short and put Taker over. The match was unnessary and it felt like watching Kobe Bryant’s last game.
Winner: Undertaker
Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Daniel Bryan made his improbable return to the ring and looked as if he hadn’t missed a day. He and Shane had the crowd behind them the whole way. Shane had his usual insane moment when he coast to coast drop kicked Zayn while he was in a tree of woe. Zayn and Kevin Owens pulled out all the stops to keep their jobs but it wasn’t enough as Zayn rallied against Zayn for the win.
Winner: Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon
WWE Raw Women’s Title Match: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax
Alexa’s usual guile and mind games were no match against the fury of Nia. Micki James was dispatched quickly and brutally by Nia and she had to get medical attention. Nia dominated the match for the most part. Alexa did rally thanks to some eye rakes but the Goddess was defeated when Nia gave her a Samoan Drop from the second rope to capture her first title. The feud between the former friends is likely to continue and Asuka is still a a threat despite the end of her streak.
Winner: Nia Jax
WWE Title Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
This match built its way up to being a top shelf rather than being a instant classic right out of the gate. The first major WWE pay per view match between the two rivals was similar to their battles in Japan with its physicality. Both competitors took sustained shots from each other throughout and it turned into a kickfest afterwards. AJ Styles retained the belt after reversing a Kinsasha attempt into a Styles Clash. Shinsuke turned to the Dark Side after hitting AJ with a low and assaulting him after the match. It’s rumored that Shinsuke will get the belt at Backlash but it remains to be seen, as with all rumors. What’s certain is that we’ll be seeing more from these two.
Winner: AJ Styles
WWE Raw Tag Team Title Match: The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman & Partner TBA
Braun Strowman lifted the veil off of who’d be his partner by picking plant from the audience, a kid named Nicholas, from the crowd. The match was short as Braun dominated The Bar for the majority of the match. Sheamus and Cesaro were able to get Braun down but were hopelessly out matched despite the match being two on one. It remains to seen where this angle will go from here. According to a report from Bodyslam.net, Nicolas is the son of a WWE referee.
Winners: Braun Strowman & Nicholas
WWE Universal Title Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
The main event was seen by many as Brock’s farewell to the WWE since it’s rumored that he intends to return to UFC. It was also supposed to be the passing of the torch as Roman was to become the face of the company. While the first scenario is still up in the air, Brock emphatically quashed the idea (at least for now) of Roman ascending to the top. From the moment the bell rang, Roman was dominated. Roman did display toughness after kicking out of multiple F5s and taking multiple suplexes. Roman mounted some offense that slowed The Beast down but ultimately Roman was bloodied and beaten by Brock to close out the night.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
