The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Just now, nate said: Is that the first time two black athletes mained Mania? I believe so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Thank you, Sasha Banks. Thank you, Bianca Belair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 39 minutes ago, Casey said: I guess I need to re-watch the main event. Bianca was the star of the night, for sure, but in my opinion... it wasn't anything spectacular like what I'm seeing you guys say. I really liked the way the match was laid out to highlight Bianca’s strengths. They’ve been selling her as this super athlete since NXT, but most of the time she doesn’t come across in the matches as significantly more athletic than the other top level women. This was the first time I’ve seen her really look like a once-a-generation talent in there, and it was all just in the layout of the match and how committed Sasha was to putting all that stuff over. By the time they did that great vertical suplex spot, they had successfully put across the idea that Bianca was way more than Sasha could handle, and then Sasha got to smartly play off that by doing cagey veteran stuff with the hair and pulling a few tricks out of the bag (double tornado DDT was doooope). Just a very simple, effective story that was executed really well. There’s probably a better version of this match with like an extra 5 minutes of Sasha working Bianca over, but in an age when so many main events go way too damn long (LOOKING AT YOU NXT), I won’t hold it against them for erring on the side of brevity. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) Anyone else notice that Vince can't pronounce "WWE" properly? Edited April 11, 2021 by Infinit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 I blame the face lift. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 21 minutes ago, The Natural said: :(. I kinda hope Sasha runs with a Mania losing streak, to an eventual Susan Lucciesque payoff. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 I was pretty disappointments by Lashley/McIntyre. I mean, it was a good, solid match, but I never really felt like it kicked into Mania gear, and the finish was weak. And while I like Lashley and have no problem with him as champion, booking a heel to win via shenanigans in the first match in front of fans in over a year is just the absolute most WWE bullshit imaginable. Almost self-parody. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 I have no idea if Tamina and Natalya are supposed to be faces or heels, but I know for damn sure that nobody cares to see them winning matches in 2021, so I’m gonna chalk that up as heels winning the first TWO matches with fans in over a year lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 You know what would have been cool? The Hurt Business celebrating on RAW.. why Vince.. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 8 minutes ago, nate said: I kinda hope Sasha runs with a Mania losing streak, to an eventual Susan Lucciesque payoff. I see them making a story of it like how Sasha Banks could never defend a singles title on the main roster in her five reigns as WWE RAW Women's Champion. Thankfully that was broken during her reign as WWE Smackdown Live Women's Champion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 2 minutes ago, Niners Fan in CT said: You know what would have been cool? The Hurt Business celebrating on RAW.. why Vince.. So fucking stupid breaking up the Hurt Business, such a great stable giving every member a purpose and one of the few things worth watching in WWE. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nofuture Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) The Bunny Hop Destroyer! Edited April 11, 2021 by The Natural 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 25,675 fans for night 1. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Aww. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamBroken Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Really liked Lashley/Drew. Having the crowd definitely gave it a big time feel, thought this was top level stuff. My favorite WWE match in awhile, probably since a Charlotte/Asuka match last June. Surprised that Drew didn't win the title back but I'm cool with Lashley's reign continuing, good stuff. Shane O is the best. Most enjoyable Braun match in years. Bad Bunny was absolutely fantastic. Came off like the proper mega star that he is with a great crowd reaction all the way through. Showstealer highlight of the night, I popped for the Bunny Destroyer. Thought he looked great at everything from offense to selling. Super solid match and one of the longer ones of the night at that. Definitely one of the all time best celeb performances, I hope he continues to do more. Didn't have any investment in the main event and it never felt like a "Wrestlemania main event" type build at all, but the match was good. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 AJ Styles is now a WWE Grand Slam Champion: WWE Champion. WWE Intercontinental Champion. WWE United States Champion. WWE RAW Tag Team Champion. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Of what I saw, I thought it progressed from bad (Strowman vs Shane) to really fucking good (main event). I liked everything after Strowman vs Shane. You could totally tell immediately that Bianca would win. I mean, logic dictates that she should, but she immediately starts crying and Sasha is smiling and waving her to come on. I love that Bianca couldn't hold back the moment or what would be happening in about 15 minutes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 We just took her tears as a reaction to being one of two Black Women in the Main Event of WrestleMania, not a give away. I wasn't sure they were gonna have her win. They had already done a few fan friendly finishes and I wasn't sure they'd do another given that there was an easy story of Sasha just being a little better. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail Sabin Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) The Replay got put up around 12:30am on Peacock. Nattie/Tamina winning must mean we are getting a surprise 3rd team added to the match on Night 2. Edited April 11, 2021 by Hail Sabin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 First time I've seen Seth Rollins do a Corkscrew Splash, he's done the Phoenix Splash and Frog Splash before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 A few scattered thoughts: - As a WWE app service, Peacock is trash. Even less features than WWE Network. Terrible layout. Terrible organization. It is less money, but from a wrestling fan's standpoint, it looks and feels awful. No rewind features, no starting from the beginning. It's hard to find anything. It's haphazardly organized. Thumbs down for Peacock as the new US WWE Network destination. - No more outdoor stadiums ever. They are lucky they've gotten by this far without anything this disastrous. No more. - Those rain delay promos were hilariously bad. It's like no one knew what to do when they were off-script or things didn't go according to plan. Everyone looked super nervous and off their game. - McIntyre vs. Lashley was match of the night for me. Felt like a big time deal and reminded me a bit of Batista vs. Undertaker. I thought McIntyre's dive was executed well, but the landing was terrible. It looks like he barely made contact with with Lashley or MVP and mostly ate shit and landed on his back. It reminds me of Shotzi Blackheart's dive from NXT TakeOver the other night. It looked like she ate all of it and did more damage to herself than her opponents, same with McIntyre. Lashley winning was the right move. Lashley just won the title and has had it just over a month. He's the fresher champion right now. Let him hold the belt through SummerSlam at least and let's see what he can do and if they can put the Lesnar match together. - The women's tag team turmoil was treated like a pre-Women's (R)Evolution bathroom break match. Total afterthought. And why the hell did Natalya and Tamina win? I don't think Lana is the greatest worker, but the way she's been treated through this whole thing, especially after eating a table for 8 consecutive weeks is garbage. I knew it was a bad sign when Naomi and Lana came out first. Women were treated and booked terribly here. - Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins was good and one of the few matches on here that had a nice WrestleMania feel. Glad to see Cesaro got a moment and his first WrestleMania singles win in a good match. I'm not confident what WWE will do with Cesaro here, 7 years on from WrestleMania 30, but we shall see. Lest we forget how Cesaro won the Andre battle royal after body slamming Big Show out of the ring and getting a huge pop. Then the next night he got paired up with Paul Heyman and booked into slow death and irrelevancy for the rest of the year. - Styles and Omos vs. New Day wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. It was a glorified handicap match until Omos came in. Not to mention, I was kind of weirded out that New Day were basically working as heels for most of the match until Omos got tagged. I feel bad for Kofi Kingston. He's been treated as a total afterthought since he lost the WWE title. It's like he was never a world champion in the first place and Kofi Mania never happened. Not sure what the plan is with Styles and Omos as champs, but at least Styles is a grand slam champion now. - Bad Bunny and Priest vs. Miz and Morrison was fine as far as WrestleMania celebrity tag matches go. Other than Booker T, the announcers sounded confused and had no idea what was going on when the bunnies came out. Honestly, I think Bad Bunny spent too much time in the ring, and Priest didn't get enough time to showcase himself here. All things considered, Bad Bunny did a good job. He clearly trained and work hard for this match, so he does deserve some credit for that. He took this appearance seriously. When you have a celebrity appearance or match like this, that's about the most you can ask for. So, he did a very good job. - Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair was good. Glad they got to headline. IMHO this is another reason WrestleMania should stay as two nights. Had this been one night, no way this would've happened. Also, WrestleMania is bloated enough as it is. 2 nights just gives you more breathing room and makes the show more watchable and digestible because it's so big. Plus, now that WM is now mostly presented as a streaming exclusive, you aren't breaking the bank and spending $70 or $80 on both shows. So now is a good time to keep it at two nights. Meltzer stated that WWE's plan is to return to one night post pandemic. I would've been fine with Sasha retaining, but Belair winning is a good result and creates a nice feel-good moment. At the very least, Sasha finally got the opportunity to headline a WrestleMania main event as champion after having a decent run, especially when her past WM appearances were battle royals or multi-person matches. - What the hell was going on with that Titus O'Neil and Hogan intro? Titus O'Neil looked legit pissed and angry that he was sharing the stage with Hogan. It was legit awkward. Titus looked like he could barely contain himself and not punch Hogan. Bad intro and bad segment. I don't think Titus O'Neil has forgiven Hulk Hogan. Putting them together as cohosts was a bad idea. - Bayley one of the unfortunate victims this year. Those promo segments they wrote for her were also terrible. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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