Wrestlemania XXXI - The Greatest Show Ever

[caley]

I'm always fascinated by the Mania reactions.

 

First come the guys who loved it, calling it the best Mania ever/most entertaining, talking about the stuff they love.  Then those guys go to bed and it's page after page of why everything they liked sucked and how WWE is stupid.

 

Plus, for those complaining about the Ronda Rousey angle, there is exactly one mention of Wrestlemania in my Facebook timeline, and it's the Rousey thing.  Even if you don't watch UFC, this is a big deal.  A very, very big deal.

[Tim Evans]

Big Show eliminating Itami made me laugh so much.

 

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Only bad match was Taker/Wyatt. I guess that's the closest we will ever get to see Booger red back in WWE. I'd be fine never seeing Taker wrestle again. Loved Sting/HHH as a Kliq fan. Couldn't believe Scott Hall took a bump. Main event was amazing. Can't wait for babyface Brock demolishing the authority and anyone else that gets in his way. My favorite match of the night was probably the opener. Kidd and Cesaro rule. Looking forward to seeing them vs the Briscoes at Rumble next year

[Greggulator]

 

Him being "demoted" to feuding with Orton really just took the focus off of him even though he had the spotlight for almost the entire year. It put our eyes on Brock/Reigns and wondering what was going to happen there. Rollins walking off with the belt didn't feel out-of-place. It felt more like an inevitability we should have realized all along.

What an awesome, ballsy move. I can get why Raz doesn't like it -- I usually prefer clean endings, especially to end epics. But they really ended the storyline of Seth's sleazebag power play in the best way possible.

What? Rollins-Orton has pretty much been the focal point of Raw over the last month.

 

 

Actually, you're right. And that just sort of goes into what I was saying. Rollins has been the primary fulcrum of WWE programming since he clubbed Roman with a chair all those months ago. And even the build-up to his feud with Randy -- which was, at the start of the show, the least important match of the night -- got so much attention and focus.

Him taking the title tonight makes so much more sense. I'm not saying it was "their plan all along" and going down that wormhole. But someone at some point realized that Seth Rollins was a guy good enough to build the promotion's TV around. And he lived up to what they gave him and ended up walking out of WrestleMania with the title despite having a sorta throwaway match.

Great payoff to what they've been building towards him.

[EVA]

Also, to back to everyone's favorite talking point, now that Rollins is champ does anyone seriously think that Bryan won't be headlining for the title by the end of summer?

I wouldn't necessarily assume Rollins will have the belt that long. I think that'll largely depend on how soon they can get Brock back and how long they estimate the Reigns reclaimation project will take. I see this as less the start of the Rollins Era and more the Take A Deep Breath and Figure Out How to Not Fuck Up Roman Next Time Era.

[_MJ_]

They got the belt off Brock(they probably want someone who can defend it more regularly) without him taking the fall.  Mission accomplished.  I'm sure they'll do the rematch thing but I'm not so sure he's getting the title back soon.

[Victator]

Wyatt ended up with the friggin' Undertaker match the very next year.

 

Doesn't mean he was particularly over. He looked like Skinner fighting Taker on an early Raw.

Though I did get a kick out of Bray spider walking away in fear. 

 

Plus, for those complaining about the Ronda Rousey angle, there is exactly one mention of Wrestlemania in my Facebook timeline, and it's the Rousey thing.  Even if you don't watch UFC, this is a big deal.  A very, very big deal.

 

One Facebook tending topic was Ashton Kutcher complaining about lack of changing tables in public rest rooms.

 

[The Unholy Dragon]

I have to call bullshit on Rock claiming he'd never hit a woman.

For one thing, he was a face during the Attitude Era, so that alone gives you about an 80% chance that he perpetrated violence on a woman at some point.

Secondly, if I recall correctly, I think him hitting Steph with the Rock Bottom/People's Elbow was the "feel good" go-home moment to make up for HHH winning at Wrestlemania 2000.

I spent about 50% of that segment repeating that exact same fact.

I marked the fuck out for Rousey (surprised they didn't make more of both of them being in Furious 7) and basically this was a great way to tide me over until she finishes murdering the women's division in UFC and moves to WWE for a run. I can dream.

I definitely got the impression the segment was stalling for time, whether because stuff had run short or because they were still trying to give Bray time to get going. Also, on the subject of Bray/Taker, that way overperformed for me. For a match between a 50 year old man and a guy with one good leg, that was good stuff. Played on the freakshow elements and character dynamics more than ACTION which gave Taker a nice, laid back match. I think he only took one or two real bumps in the whole thing. And Bray looks just as good as Punk, Edge, or anyone else who lost to the Streak without being in the Kliq. 

Alright. Breakdowns.

Tag Titles were solid. Total spotfest but a well delivered one with lots of fun spots and a great finish.

Andre Battle Royal...man, wasted Itami. Ending run was great with a tease of Cesaro repeating the show elimination as well as the Mizdow stuff. Show winning is whatever, but it's not like the match really got any build anyway. If it weren't for a memorial trophy, no one would care.

At this point my fiancée joined me and it probably helped me appreciate the show more. She's a casual viewer so she gets the broad strokes but needs some of the fine points explained to her. Especially in terms of match build and storytelling as well as the thought process behind how a match is worked. Guiding her through helped me look at stuff a little closer and I had a lot more fun and appreciation for the show as a result, I think.

Ladder match was another solid spotfest. I still have no idea why Truth was there. He contributed nothing of value and I'm kinda wondering if Vince just mixed up him and Kofi. Not that Kofi isn't terrible, but he at least brings the freakshow athletic spots. Stardust was another weird choice, frankly. I love Cody more than is rational. I would back a Cody World Title run. Cody does not do ladder matches well. They're all about high impact stuff that looks rough and all his stuff looked SUPER safe and restrained in comparison. Just a bad fit. Harper, Ambrose, Bryan, and Dolph carried this. And honestly, Barrett looked better than he's looked in probably two years. Loved him using the broken ladder step as a weapon and throwing murder elbows everywhere. Finish sets up the twin aces of midcard titles to reestablish the value of the secondary titles and allow for them to be suitable for house show main events moving forward. The powerbomb was sickening. Otherwise this sure was a ladder match. Fun in the way they are, but not overly memorable. The segment with Bryan later SUPER put him over as a big deal so yay that.

 

Orton vs. Rollins...man, both these guys REALLY need someone better to lead them. They either structure a match poorly or so safely that it's completely fucking dull. This was super average with a hot finishing run and an admittedly brilliant finish. It served its purpose and I never screamed at the TV for Orton's death so that's something.

 

Sting vs. HHH was some great smoke and mirrors. Couldn't help but see HHH from the Landis view at the start. He really wants to embarass Sting by totally dominating him, only Sting keeps coming back so HHH just keeps getting dirtier and dirtier to get ahead. Sting looked better than he has in a decade here with a really nice dropkick and a daring dive for a guy his age. I was SUPER annoyed by them doing the Pedigree counter - Dive only to then REPEAT THE SETUP with the Pedigree hitting again. Overbooking was a lot of fun, if nonsensical. I actually found the finish to be fairly clever, both with the hammer being split and the fact of that causing Sting to miss it until he got KO'd. This is a really face-win-heavy show so HHH winning breaks it up a bit while also protecting HHH as a big match guy. Pedigree went from DEATH to "At least one kick out." over the last 3 years or so due to HHH only wrestling epics now though. Sting shaking hands was dumb and clearly down to HHH jerking off, but whatever. Better match than it should have been.

 

Paige/AJ vs. Bellas was a great little match. They worked hard and got the crowd on-side but it was better if you've been tracking the feud. The layout called back to the Rumble match where the Bellas isolated Nattie enough that she didn't even get to tag in. They used interference in the same way as Paige's title shots. It was a culmination of all the dirty tricks they'd used to win before, only Paige survived it all and with AJ's help managed to FINALLY beat them. Really good culmination to the last few months of story/build. 

 

Rusev vs. Cena was great. Rusev was emboldened by his last win, but also still remembers how hard Cena was to kill and scouts all his finishers. Cena knows the Accolade could get him and avoids it like the plague. But Rusev has scouted him so thoroughly that he ends up having to go high risk to get ANYTHING, leading to the Indy Cena bucket with the diving Tornado DDT and the Springboard Stunner. His usual stuff ain't doing it, so he innovates. But Rusev keeps going because he knows if he gets the Accolade, he'll win. Only that's not how it works out. Cena escapes and Rusev freaks out because THAT was his magic bullet. He's panicked which leads to him forgetting his scouting and getting taken into the STF and then AA'd for the win. Perfect extension of the match they had last month and great storytelling overall. Probably a slightly better match than Fast Lane but different.

Thoughts on the Furious 7 seg above.

Undertaker vs. Bray. As I said above, I thought it overperformed. Bray kept things within the realm of what Taker could safely do, hurling himself around recklessly like a cannonball to keep momentum and allowing Taker to move slower. They played on character a lot. Taker was stripped down. No druids. No light shows. Just him and mist. Bray's entrance was more Taker than Taker's. But when he saw Undertaker he finally felt afraid...just for a second. Taker came in strong but didn't have the fire to keep it up the way he did when the Streak was alive. Bray finds that wound and just digs in like a wild dog, ripping him apart in any way he can. I actually thought the first Tombstone should have finished, but as with the Pedigree as discussed above, the Tombstone has lost strength due to Taker only doing epics. To lose to just one is a sign of disrespect. I liked the finishing run from there. Sister Abigail looked wild, almost like a fall. They did some good stuff and finished on the second Tombstone which worked. Taker may be diminished, but he's not dead yet. 

 

Brock vs. Roman...holy hell that was a slugfest. I liked how Brock basically tried to wrestle the same match he did against Cena. Some of it worked but Roman being a bigger and arguably more powerful dude neutralized a lot of that and turned it into something with a lot more back and forth. Roman took some insane abuse and just hung in there, outdoing both Cena and Streak Taker by kicking out of three F5s. Him realizing Brock didn't have anything else to throw at him and laughing even as Brock slapped the hell out of him was amazing. Brock bleeding hard way in three separate instances ruled and made it feel decidedly non-PG. Then Roman getting his shot, chaining those Superman Punches and the Spears...awesome nearfall. Given his Spear is the most protected finisher in WWE right now, I bit on the double. One last F5 but Brock can't capitalize, leaving it wide open for Rollins to cash in. PERFECT booking on that. By coming in at that moment, Rollins can pick out whichever dude is weaker and finish them. Some people may hate it, but it stands out as ballsy booking that elevates everyone. Brock-Roman is unsettled, leaving everything open for a rematch. Meanwhile Rollins has a ton of ready made feuds in there. Also it finally delivers on the idea that was presented after Edge won the first MitB ten years ago...a successful cash-in at Wrestlemania. 

Really great show. Everything worked and was at a minimum good, which puts it into that 17/19/30 realm of greatness. It didn't have the highest highs but it lacked the lows and was a good time all the way through. I'm definitely a fan.

[_MJ_]

 

Wyatt ended up with the friggin' Undertaker match the very next year.

 

Doesn't mean he was particularly over. He looked like Skinner fighting Taker on an early Raw.

Though I did get a kick out of Bray spider walking away in fear. 

 

Plus, for those complaining about the Ronda Rousey angle, there is exactly one mention of Wrestlemania in my Facebook timeline, and it's the Rousey thing.  Even if you don't watch UFC, this is a big deal.  A very, very big deal.

 

One Facebook tending topic was Ashton Kutcher complaining about lack of changing tables in public rest rooms.

 

 

 

It was men's public rest rooms specifically, and I think he brought up a good point.

 

The Mania thread needs this debate.

[EVA]

Yeah, I thought a clever aspect of the Rousey thing was, you put her in a big spot in front of 75,000 people chanting "Ronda's gonna kill you" and maybe she catches the bug and decides she wants to give the pro wres a shot at some point. Maybe you planted the seeds for a big money match down the line.

[Victator]

It was men's public rest rooms specifically, and I think he brought up a good point.

 

The Mania thread needs this debate.

 

 

This is news to these people. 

I think we need to get you into rehab since you are clearly on drugs. How else did you miss such a clear point?

The mania thread needs to be decapitated, cremated and the ashes spread in different locations.

[_MJ_]

Although trending Facebook topic is quite different from a mention on your personal timeline.  I get what you were saying, caley, but I couldn't resist a Ashton Kutcher Mania thread mention.

 

EDIT:

Oh Victator. I got your point. I just thought it was silly since there's clearly a difference between a trending Facebook topic and a mention on caley's own timeline.  Silly response was what I felt like giving it.  You keep doing that thing that you do though.

Edited March 30, 2015 by _MJ_

[nate]

I can't speak for the other people that hated that segment, but I don't care that Rousey was there. What I care about is how WWE mistold a 5-10 minute segment over 40 minutes. It's literally heel woman slaps people => heel woman winds up getting slapped.

Yes it popped the crowd. Yes it was an entertaining thing. Yes it got social media reaction and will probably get traditional media reaction. Imagine how much better it would be if the WWE could just tell it right and pay it off.

It was only 25 minutes, not quite 40 minutes. Still may be too long for some people but WM always has some skits and things, I really don't see the big deal. No one lost their spot on the card for that skit.

Mania hasn't always had skits. But when did Mania get so incredibly skit-heavy?

[Jiji]

I don't know how much of Undertaker looking old was Undertaker being old or Undertaker selling the idea that he's not the Deadman he once was, which has been logically building for about 5 years now (and culminated in last year's defeat, this is like the denouement). The match was pretty good all things considered but Bray was visibly grasping at his hamstring throughout and seemed to be in a lot of pain. I really felt he needed a big win on a big stage after being made to look the chump in the Cena feud and going nowhere since then. He's dead in the water and I know about 50% on here don't care but I love the goofy bastard and want him to be in that Undertaker spot in years to come (sideshow, co-star).

 

Rusev losing also sucked donkey dick but we knew it was coming and I much preferred this match to their Fastlane match. Rusev is the fucking man and that Oklahoma Roll combination he did early on is bonerific. Please keep Lana and Rusev together. Please.

 

The divas tag was the best divas match I think I've seen from WWE. And notice how the announcers called the match in all seriousness and put them all over. The Bellas working cohesively and continuously taking out AJ was really good. I think this was Vince giving the divas a chance and they should all be proud of the match.

 

The Sting/HHH stuff made no fucking sense but I felt like they had a really good match going (for what it was) up until the smoke and mirrors. I thoroughly enjoyed it all while knowing it was the most nonsensical bullshit they've pulled in the past few... weeks? I don't understand what the point from a storytelling perspective other than "Fuck Yeah, WWE/F," so I guess that was the point. I wonder if that's the last we see of Stinger. His appearance on JR's podcast months and months ago sure made it sound like he was a one and done type of deal in WWE.

 

The main event was near perfect. Roman didn't have to do much but what he had to do, he did well. I really like the idea that BobbyWhioux mentioned, in that the match was playing out as everybody expected and dreaded it would and then Rollins came in and saved us. Roman comes out of this 100x better than beating Brock and being anointed generoCena to 76,000 people booing the shit out of him. Roman  took his beating like a man and now hsi chace feels way more organic and sympathetic. I still don't want him touching that tile for a long while yet but in that 30 minutes they've done more for him than they've done since the Shield breakup. The chase for Rollins with Orton, Brock, and Roman should be fun.

 

Everything else was at least fun in some regard. I went in disgruntled and annoyed and came out very pleased with a few gripes. While I think last year's show had better matches, this year's mania was more enjoyable.

[EVA]

I can't speak for the other people that hated that segment, but I don't care that Rousey was there. What I care about is how WWE mistold a 5-10 minute segment over 40 minutes. It's literally heel woman slaps people => heel woman winds up getting slapped.

Yes it popped the crowd. Yes it was an entertaining thing. Yes it got social media reaction and will probably get traditional media reaction. Imagine how much better it would be if the WWE could just tell it right and pay it off.

It was only 25 minutes, not quite 40 minutes. Still may be too long for some people but WM always has some skits and things, I really don't see the big deal. No one lost their spot on the card for that skit.

Mania hasn't always had skits. But when did Mania get so incredibly skit-heavy?

After the show went to 4 hours and, seemingly at the same time, they decided that not everybody on the roster needed to get on the show.

Somehow we went from a 3 hour show that had 10-12 matches, to a 4 hour show with 8.

[TheVileOne]

 

 

 

I can't speak for the other people that hated that segment, but I don't care that Rousey was there. What I care about is how WWE mistold a 5-10 minute segment over 40 minutes. It's literally heel woman slaps people => heel woman winds up getting slapped.

Yes it popped the crowd. Yes it was an entertaining thing. Yes it got social media reaction and will probably get traditional media reaction. Imagine how much better it would be if the WWE could just tell it right and pay it off.

It was only 25 minutes, not quite 40 minutes. Still may be too long for some people but WM always has some skits and things, I really don't see the big deal. No one lost their spot on the card for that skit.

Mania hasn't always had skits. But when did Mania get so incredibly skit-heavy?

After the show went to 4 hours and, seemingly at the same time, they decided that not everybody on the roster needed to get on the show.

Somehow we went from a 3 hour show that had 10-12 matches, to a 4 hour show with 8.

 

 

I miss shows like WrestleMania 17 that were way more economical with the timing.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

The handshake could have been ok had HHH not been so condescendingly "Bad luck, nice try though!" about it, rather than any prowrestlingmutualrespectbrutha.

[Jenalysis]

Yeah, Rousey is the biggest female star in sports behind Serena and maybe Danica. Sorry they bumped the matadors. Also, Lana and Rusev are my favorite act in WWE but they took a giant piss on America for 11 months, beat Cena last month and I think technically invaded America with that tank. Cena evoked FDR, Regan, Obama and W on WTC rubble to motivate himself. If that finish pissed you off, that's kinda you going off the reservation on what logical booking is.

 

Rousey's a big deal among many of the same folks who are hardcore fans of WWE.   Those are the folks who subscribe to the network, and this might have kept some of them around.  A lot of my friends were talking about dumping the network after WM, and I was one of them too.  I don't know if this show kept me around- but it definitely made all of us think about it to different degrees, and one said he was definitely keeping.  Rousey fit in well.

 

As for Rusev- yeah, it was time for him to lose, but he shouldn't have lost that cleanly.  Not saying Cena has to cheat to win, but it should have been Cena coming out with something out of his arse, like a roll-up.   Makes Cena look like an underdog, which is how he should have looked for this.

 

I don't want Rusev/Lana breaking up either, but I see Rusev having real face potential.

[peterien]

Amazed anybody kept watching after Sting lost. I realized that is why he waited so long to join WWE.

I turned it off after that but it was more out of tiredness than anything, i thought Sting and Trips were building to a decent clean finish judging by the first 5-10 mins.

Dunno if its just me but between last Mondays Raw and last night i thought the initial pops for Sting were a bit "meh" he had the crowd buzzing later on though.

[Victator]

I tuned back in for parts of Taker/Skinner and Brock making magic. Bray spider walking backward in fear was a great moment and loved Brock pummeling Reigns

But the Sting loss ruined the night for me and Steph talking for three hours did not help.

[Cole Miner]

I think I am ready for these multi-man to just go away. That bump by Ambrose when he hit his head was ugly. The finish of the match with the headbutts was bad. Bad because the 2 guys doing it were 2 guys dumb enough to give each other, or themselves, concussions. Putting an end to these matches would have the extra benefit of no more Money in the Bank.

 

Rollins and Orton had a good match. Orton used his athleticism far more than normal. The match was probably hurt a bit by the poor build to it. Since the storyline of Orton pretending to be with the authority killed some of his heat. Plus he did the monster beat down on RAW so he already had his revenge.

 

Sting and Triple H was something alright. The writing of this was awful leading into the match. Making it about WCW vs WWE. This was just Triple H getting his friends an extra check. They should have had the NWO turn on him as well. After that have the Horsemen come out and also turn on him. Flair, Anderson and Malenko were already there. My only hope for the match was Triple H would have had Sting prone and defenseless at one point. With the sledgehammer in hand. Have him do a face turn by not using it. Finally getting rid of the heel authority figure. Instead they shake hands after using the sledgehammer. The match was the perfect example of why Triple H was never really effective relative to his push and position. They seem to not get the face heel dynamic in the WWE to the point I wouldn't have been surprised if they tried to sell that as a face turn. Luckily that was clarified later. Based on his entrance gear every year if Triple H played World of Warcraft or a similar game I think he would choose Orc as his race. Scariest thing all night was seeing Hogan bump.

 

The skit backstage with Daniel Bryan and all the ex intercontinental champions made me wish I had been backstage with them watching Sting vs Triple H. I'm sure it would have been a lot of laughs. Especially from Bret.

 

Cena and Rusev was really great. I'm surprised Cena didn't embrace the nationalism more during his entrance. I don't care that he didn't. Think that tribal mentality is antiquated. Just seems like it would have fit the build more. People that wanted Rusev to win are ok. The people that think Rusev should have won are showing signs of a low wrestling IQ. Even a dope like Russo would know that you give the Cena segment of the viewers and crowd what they are paying for on the big show. Much more support for Cena compared to the last few Manias.

 

Main event was outstanding. A glimpse of just how amazing a Sheamus and Lesnar slug fest would be. 2 great main events in a row for Reigns. The match was very similar to Cena's first match with Lesnar in 2012. With like 4 minutes left until 11:00 I was dreading that it was going to be ending soon. Which is the perfect time to end a match when trying to get people to keep coming back for more. The fact that it was close to 11:00 also seemed to enhance the near falls a lot. Was buying them far more than normal. I am not a fan of this trend of Rumble winners falling short at Mania. It is going to eventually hurt the value of the Rumble. Winning and losing the title should mean something and it doesn't when Money in the Bank is involved. Especially since WWE booking has that terrible habit now of having a guy that is going to be elevated lose a lot prior to it thinking winning eventually erases those losses. Punch drunk Brock at the end was the high point of the night.

 

Going through these I completely forgot Undertaker and Wyatt. Wasn't a good match. I wonder if Undertaker has lost the big match feel forever or if this was more about his opponent. Also him being absentee during the build.

 

Can't say I am excited for the idea of The Rock vs Triple H next year. I suppose the Rousey segment was effective. Certainly way more effective than anything TNA did with King Mo, Rampage Jackson or Tito Ortiz.

[Matt D]

Jesus, HHH's entrance plays so perfectly into everything Landis said about him.

And he used DX as a shield again to get another victory over someone he's not better than.

[The Natural]

I really enjoyed this show apart from two things (Sting losing and John Cena the first to beat/break Rusev’s Accolade).

 

The opening Ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship is the best Ladder match I’ve seen in years. Awesome match. Hopefully Daniel Bryan can raise the Intercontinental Championship to the level it was once at. Look at how prestigious the NJPW version is. Liked the rub Daniel Bryan got from the Hall of Famers backstage.

 

Great match between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins, everything was hit so crisply, the perfect example of which was the finish as Orton countered Rollins Curb Stomp to the RKO. That’s already gone down as one of the best RKO’s.

 

Triple H vs. Sting was something, OTT from the top with the entrances and the match itself. Best Divas match by AJ Lee/Paige vs. Bella twins at a WrestleMania in yonks. Very good match between John Cena and Rusev for the WWE United States Championship. However I preferred their match at Fast Lane. Liked Rock/Ronda Rousey verbal segment with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. I was hit and miss on The Rock in the Attitude Era, same or a letter less since he returned to the WWE in 2011. Undertaker/Bray Wyatt was fine. Like Undertaker's new look.

 

Terrific main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship turned out a lot better than I imagined. Two bomb throwing wrestlers with Rollins picking on the bones cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, the first to turn a match into a Triple Threat and at long last the first at WrestleMania. One of the most memorable ones with Edge’s two and Daniel Bryan’s.

[The Natural]

Dave loved the show:

 

This was one of the best shows I've ever seen. Several great matches, a killer angle and very little that wasn't good.

[Bustronaut]

To be fair, he was admittedly pretty distracted after the Rousey angle

[Hail Sabin]

Will need to rewatch the show before posting my full thoughts on the show But I'm surprised there wasn't more love for John Cena's version of a springboard O Face (Stunner).