WrestleMania 35 Review

Sunday, April 7th, 2019
MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Yolanda Adams is here to sing "America The Beautiful" and we have helicopters and fireworks to kick off the show.

They do a "Showcase of the Immortals" hype video featuring different superstars taking turns talking as they show pictures of legendary moments.

I have to say, the set is pretty uninspired for me this year along with the color scheme. And for the love of God, please bring back the number in the title.

They introduce our host for the evening, Alexa Bliss. She says if she wants a WrestleMania moment, all she has to do is snap her fingers. So she does and "Real American" plays and out comes one of my least favorite wrestlers of all time. Let's see how much he goes over and steals from one of the matches tonight. Hogan makes a Silverdome joke. Bliss and Hogan pose for the crowd and then Paul Heyman comes storming out. Heyman says that if Lesnar is not the last match, then he's fighting now so that Lesnar can leave.

WWE Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
I am very curious to see what they do here. We already had two new champions on the pre-show. Lesnar attacks Rollins as soon as he gets to the ring and hits the F5 on the outside. Lesnar is absolutely destroying Rollins and the bell has still not rung. Lesnar throws him into the ring and the ref tries to stop Lesnar, so Lesnar throws him over the ropes again. Lesnar throws Rollins over the German announce table again and right into one of the announcers. The announcer no sells it. Best of luck on your future endeavors. They are back in the ring again and the bell has finally rung. Lesnar immediately takes him to the corner and then to Suplex City. Rollins is fighting back after a low blow and hits Lesnar with a superkick. Rollins hits the Stomp, not once, but twice. Make it three times. Rollins covers and that is all. Rollins is your new Universal Champion. That was interesting booking, but I don't hate it. With 3 huge title matches on the show, they did a good job of helping distinguish this one from the other two. This is a hard match to rate as there wasn't a whole lot of match, but it had a clear story and it was memorable. The only thing that gets me thinking here is do both Kofi and Becky win later tonight after they went this route?

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

Jerry Lawler is announced as the guest commentator for the next match and they show Lesnar walking to the back.

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
This one probably could have been a co-headliner on one of the normal shows. I am guessing they go on to fight on the next couple shows with different stipulations. AJ hits a launched forearm smash to the outside. Orton is back on the offense after he bumps Styles off the apron into the guard rail. Chinlock time for Orton. I wish I loved anything as much as he loved that hold. Orton goes for the RKO, but Styles blocks it and Orton hits his signature body slam. Styles is able to get the Calf Crusher on, but Orton gets to the ropes. Styles hits a 450 splash, but Orton kicks out. Styles goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Orton ducks and hits him with a backbreaker. The crowd already seems exhausted and it's only 7:45 pm EST. Orton hits a nice looking superplex and of course only gets a 2 count. Not sure what is going on in the crowd, but now Orton is playing with them. Enzuigiri by Styles and rolls him up for a 2 count, but then Orton hits him with a RKO but Styles kicks out. Apparently the crowd was chanting for the lights to be turned off, as it was blinding a good amount of people. Styles hits a Phenomenal Forearm to the outside. Styles goes for it in the ring, but Orton goes for the RKO, which Styles blocks and then he ends up hitting the forearm and gets the 3 count. That was disappointing to say the least. I'm not a big Orton fan, but both men are capable of more than that. At least the right guy won here.

Match Rating: **3/4

Out comes Lacey Evans and there she goes. Not sure how much longer they can really run with this. I have to think it ends possibly this week.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos vs. The Bar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black
Remember how over Rusev was last year and they just threw him in a meaningless 4 way match? This year he's less over, same result. If he stays healthy, Ricochet will be in a major match at next years WrestleMania. I could probably say the same thing for Black. They certainly gave everyone their time on the intros, let's hope that they get some time in the ring. Black and Jey start things off. Nakamura hits a nice double team enzuigiri while Rusev held Black. Ricochet hits an awesome head scissors on Cesaro, but Cesaro greets him with a forearm right after. Cesaro now has Ricochet in the swing while Sheamus clubs everyone in the chest. Cesaro is still going, incredible. He immediately puts him in the Sharpshooter and somehow both men seem to have their balance. Jimmy Uso breaks it up. Black and Rusev are in now and Black hits his signature springboard moonsault. Nakamura helps out his partner and gets the tag. Running knee by Nakamura but Ricochet hits a running shooting star press to break up the pin. Well here comes the tower of doom spot. Ricochet rolled through, although I think he was hoping to land. Black hits a knee and Ricochet hits the 630 splash on Sheamus, but the pin is broken up by about three guys. Now we are getting the every guy hits a signature more spot, which leads to the Usos double superkicking Sheamus twice. The Usos hit their double splash off the top rope and get the victory. The Usos deserved a good WrestleMania match after last years was really rushed. Not a show stealer, but a really solid match.

Match Rating: ***1/2

They show highlights from the Hall of Fame and then announce each of the members on the stage. DX gets the full entrance treatment as the headliners.

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz
Shane is all over Miz to begin. Hopefully he doesn't blow himself up here. Shane is already clearing a table and smashes Miz with a TV. Shane is up to the top rope, but Miz's dad steps in the way. Shane steps down and in comes dad. After a few moments of stalling, Shane attacks him and in comes the Miz to save the day. Miz is now annihilating Shane on the outside. He throws him over the guardrail and then goes to attend to his dad and asks for help. Miz then leaps over the guardrail and attacks Shane. I like seeing this side of Miz. They are now fighting near one of the pillars of the ring canopy. Miz is now using a chair on Shane's leg as they walk up the steps through the crowd. Miz is now tossing Shane all over the international announcers tables. Miz throws him through a table and then over a rail on top of a golf cart. He bounced right off the roof and onto the concrete. That had to hurt. Shane climbs up one of the camera towers, but Miz is now right there too. Shane is down on his knees saying that he is sorry. Miz isn't buying it and he hits a superplex off of the tower for a cool visual. Shane lands on top of Miz and the ref counts the 3 count, once again proving that all babyfaces are idiots. I enjoyed Miz in this role. It wasn't a great match, but it was entertaining and told it's story. Both men are down still as they are both attended to.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Paige is out to be the guest commentator for the next match

Women's Tag Team Championship Match
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Tamina & Nia Jax vs. The IIconics vs. Natalya & Beth Phoenix
Sahsha & Bayley get fireworks for their entrance. The IIconics have Maleficent inspired attire and Bret Hart is out to see Natalya and Beth down to the ring. It really is lazy booking to have two fatal four way tag team matches on the same show. Things have already broken down and all 8 women are fighting. They are working a pace that feels like they had 5 minutes shaved off their match. For some reason when Peyton was pinning Sasha both Beth and Natalya just watched, which doesn't make much sense in a match that has no DQs. Phoenix hits a double suplex on the IIconics. Beth and Natalya hit the Hart Attack, but the pin is broken up. Sasha has Beth in the Bank Statement, but Beth gets out and has Sasha up for the Glam Slam, but Sasha rolls through. Natalya now goes for the double Sharpshooter on the champs, but Tamina superkicks Natalya to break the hold. Elbow drop off the top from Bayley and then Sasha hits the Frog Splash, but Phoenix kicks out. Paige is not very good as a commentator, but I'm also one of the only people who didn't like her much as a wrestler, so maybe I'm biased. Phoenix hits Bayley with a Glam Slam from the top rope, wow. The IIconics pull Beth off and steal the pin and win the titles. Wow, they went from hardly being used to getting a title win at WrestleMania. I'm a little surprised they took the titles off the faces so quick, but they probably need Sasha and Bayley to help with the singles going forward. The crowd is already getting exhausted and it hurt this match. It was smart that Nia and Tamina hardly were in there.

Match Rating: **1/2

WWE Championship Match
Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan
It's so weird not rooting for Daniel Bryan here. Kofi shows off his incredible leaping ability early by launching himself over the top rope. After some good back and forth action, Kofi launched himself over the top again, but this time Bryan moves and Kofi smashes into the side of the table. Bryan hangs Kofi on the top rope and drives a knee off the top rope. They are continuing to show the roster in the back watching backstage (on an angle of course). Bryan is firmly in control and counters Kofi's comeback by putting him in the Boston Crab, but Kofi gets to the ropes. Bryan props Kofi up on the top rope, but Kofi knocks him off with some elbows while the crowd gives them the "Yes" treatment. Kofi off the top rope, but Bryan kicks out. Kofi goes for Trouble In Paradise, but Bryan counters and then Kofi turns it into a nearfall. Kofi with a crossbody off the top, but then Bryan rolls over for another nearfall. Bryan goes for the Lebell Lock, but Kofi is able to escape. The crowd is starting to wake up, as this match is getting better by the minute. Bryan is now raising his arms and the crowd is of course chanting "No". Bryan is such a good heel. Kofi hits S.O.S., but Bryan gets him in the Lebell Lock. Bryan is driving the point of his elbow into Kofi's ribs, but Kofi gets his leg to the ropes. Bryan is hitting him with his leg strikes, but Kofi says bring it on and starts fighting back. Bryan goes for a kick, but Kofi counters it and hits a face first suplex. Rowan and the New Day are now getting involved outside, but Xavier and Big E. take care of him. Bryan goes for the suicide dive, but Kofi hits him before he can leap. Kofi goes for Trouble In Paradise again, but again Bryan ducks and nails him with the running knee. Kofi kicks out to a huge pop. Bryan is now stomping on Kofi and rolls back into the Lebell Lock. Kofi rols him over and starts throwing fists. Now he's kicking him in the face. Man, I would be so nervous to do that with Bryan's history. Trouble In Paradise connects this time and Kofi is your new WWE Champion! We all knew it was coming and I still got goosebumps. They unveil the regular WWE Championship belt and bring it to Kofi. Kofi's kids join him in the ring to celebrate. For anyone who has been a fan of WWE the past decade, this a is a great moment. The New Day open up a gift and it is a new shirt with Kofi as champion. That was a really great match.

Match Rating: ****1/4

Alexa Bliss makes her second appearance of the night with the Colin Jost and Michael Che. They are banged up and she tells them that they are good hands. They then show Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in doctors outfits. Um...okay?

Booker T is announced as the guest commentator for the next match.

United States Championship Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe
They are letting two darn good professional wrestlers here follow up the emotional roller coaster that was the last match. Joe goes right after Rey, but Rey hits him with a DDT. Rey hits 619 already and goes up top, but Joe puts him in the Coquina Clutch and that is all. Where was this booking for Joe for like the last two years? Rey has been phenomenal in his comeback and deserved better than that. Hopefully there is more to the story than that, because those guys are capable to have a classic. The only explanation that I will accept is if Mysterio is hurt, which very well could be the case.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns
Drew gets a Scottish themed entrance and Roman gets all the fireworks. This is going to be a tough spot for this match. It probably would have worked in their favor to go on early on, maybe in the AJ/Orton slot. Roman went for a Drive By, but McIntyre moves and hits a suplex on the the mat outside. McIntyre has him draped over his back and hits him with the Alabama Slam. McIntyre does an awesome spot, where he was hanging from the top rope by his legs, sat up and threw Reigns who was sitting up on the top rope. Reigns is starting to show signs of life and hits the Drive By this time. I wonder how many of these marathon WrestleManias WWE has to put on before they realize that the crowd just gets exhausted no matter how good the product is. Superman Punch by Reigns and he tries to fire up the crowd. Spear by Reigns and that is all. That was a big time lame finish there. It's awesome to see Roman be able to be back in the ring, but this was pretty vanilla TV match type stuff.

Match Rating: **

Elias is now here to perform. Does this guy ever wrestle? They show him playing the drums and piano on the big screen and then cut to him in the ring. He then begins to play along with the video. He then begins to play the intro to "Seven Nation Army". They then show highlights of Babe Ruth and the Yankees and then out comes Thuganomics era John Cena. Obviously we are going to get a rap here with Cena and even refers to the "FU". Cena decks him and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Hits the Pumps and then the FU, but Cole reminds us that it's now called the AA. That was too long for what it was, but it was a fun enough moment.

Shawn Michaels is out to be guest commentator for the next match.

No Holds Barred
Batista vs. Triple H
Batista trips as he walks into the ring. That's probably not a good omen. Kumail Nanjiani is front row behind the announcers with signs in support of his co-star. Triple H of course gets his annual big entrance that features him coming out in a skeleton mask and riding on the back of a hot rod. I'll always be in the camp that most of his elaborate entrances are lame. I'm much better with him just coming out to his standard "Game" entrance. Please tell me that someone was the voice of reason and talked Triple H out of having a half hour match here. Michael Cole pointing out that we are witnessing history, as it is the first time a tool box has ever been used in this feud. I'll always remember where I was when that happened. Triple H is using the tools on Batista's hands. He then rips Batista's nose ring ripped out by pliers. This is where we are at nearly 6 hours into WrestleMania in 2019. Batista counters Triple H jumping off the apron with a suplex onto the announce table that wasn't cleared off. To call this match slow would be a compliment. I didn't like their match at WrestleMania 14 years ago, so I'm not sure what I was expecting here. Batista put one of the steps on top of the Spanish announce table. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb, but Triple H counters it with a back body drop. Pretty obvious there. Give props to the table for not breaking there. Triple H then does the crotch chop and spears through the German announce table. Batista is going for the Batista Bob, but Triple H grabs the sledgehammer, but Batista still hits it anyway. Triple H kicks out at 2. Triple H hits a powerbomb onto the steps and then a Pedigree and Batista kicks out. Batista then hits a DDT that clearly didn't hit his head onto the steel steps. Ric Flair is now out there and hands the sledgehammer to Triple H and he nails Batista with it. Pedigree and thankfully that is all. Both guys really showed their age there and it felt unnecessary on a card that already had plenty of big matches on it. Triple H and Flair embrace after the match.

Match Rating: **1/4

Alexa Bliss is backstage with the B Team wearing the Daniel Bryan shirts that have him still being the champion on it. They dance around and Ron Simmons comes out and you know the rest. JBL is out to guest commentate for the next match.

Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle
Let's make this short and sweet. Corbin has no business being in there with Angle in his last match. I still can't believe that WWE allows Corbin to come out dressed the way he does. Corbin mocks Angle's family, which causes Angle to fight back and hit 3 German suplexes in a row. Angle slam, but Corbin counters and hits a big boot. You could hear a pin drop at the moment. Angle tries to do a roll through spot into the Ankle Lock, but it takes like 10 seconds for it to happen. Deep Six by Corbin, but Angle kicks out. Angle Slam but it only gets a 2 count. Straps are coming down and he puts on the Ankle Lock. Corbin then does a You Can't See Me and to mock the audience. The crowd starts to cheer on Angle a little bit and he goes up and does a moonsault, but Corbin moves. End Of Days by Corbin and he gets the victory. What a disgrace. Baron Corbin has no business being in this spot. It's sad to see someone who is legitimately one of the best performers of my lifetime look the way he did tonight, but he still deserved better. Angle thanks everyone and hugs his family.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Intercontinental Championship Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor
Lashley is wearing green contacts and Balor of course is the Demon here. Lashley hits some suplexes early on drives Balor into the guardrail. Balor hits Slingblade, but then Lio Rush distracts Balor and Lashley does the Big E spot where he spears him through the ropes to the outside. Lashley hits another spear, but Balor kicks out at 2. Lashley has him up for a powerbomb, but Balor counters it and nails him with a powerbomb after some kicks to set it up. Balor is up top and hits the Coup de Gras for the victory. This is a great example of a match getting screwed over because it was at the end of the show.

Match Rating: *3/4

Alexa Bliss is out again to announce tonight's "attendance" of 82,265 which is supposedly a MetLife Stadium record. She then says she thinks it's time for a break and the crowd boos. She says it again and out comes R-Truth and Carmella. Yeah, poor timing on that one.

Winner Takes All - Raw And SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Charlotte is shown in a helicopter with a creepy smile. Once it lands, they roll out a red carpet for her to walk down and they bring her her robe. Then they cut back to the stadium. That was just awkward. Then the mic cuts on the announcer. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are out to perform for Ronda's entrance. The live performance entrances often come across a little weak on TV. Rousey hits Piper's Pit to the floor on Charlotte. Becky rams Ronda into the ring post and then Charlotte throws Rousey into the barricade. Rousey takes an absolutely scary bump as Charlotte was holding her by her legs over the ropes and Becky dropkicked her to the floor. Charlotte is going up top for the moonsault, but Lynch gets her into the Disarmer, but Rousey breaks it up. Charlotte has Rousey in the Boston Crab, but Becky drives Charlotte face first into the mat. Charlotte is climbing up top, but Becky meets her there and hits a super exploder suplex for a 2 count. Ronda hits a double cross body from the top and now a double arm bar. Charlotte and Becky work together to pick her up and slam her and it takes 3 times for her to release. Charlotte gets a nearfall on Rousey. Listening to this crowd, how happy is Kofi that he went on when he did? They had the crowds full attention and emotion. Lynch gets Disarmer on Rousey. She gets to the rope, which doesn't break the hold, but she uses it to help pick up Becky. Now Becky has Disarmer on her in the corner on the top rope, but Charlotte hits a big boot to break the hold. For some reason you can really hear both women breathing heavily here. Charlotte pulls out the Spanish Fly, which I have to say I didn't expect to see tonight. Charlotte slams Becky's face off the second turnbuckle and then hits a big boot, sending her out to the floor. Charlotte is working on Rousey's leg, who has visible bruises all over her calf. Charlotte does the Figure Four on the post, but Becky breaks it up. Small package by Rousey for a 2 count, but Charlotte gets her right into the Figure Eight. Becky comes out of nowhere and breaks it up. For those wondering, it is now 12:17 am. Becky is going under the ring and pulls out a table and sets it up in the middle of the ring. Charlotte clearly calls a spot and slams Becky into the tale. She goes up top, but Charlotte stops her and then Rousey pushes Charlotte to the outside. Rousey then tips over the table, going full heel tonight. Double spear by Charlotte and gets a 2 count on both women. They are laying it all out there tonight, but it's lacking a strong in ring story that we saw earlier with Bryan and Kofi. Rousey and Becky hip toss Charlotte into the table. With Charlotte knocked outside, Rousey and Becky are in there one on one and Rousey hits Piper's Pit, but Becky shifts her weight and pins Rousey to win both titles. Wasn't expecting that ending at all and I have to think that it hurt the pop she got for winning the title. She gets a rather short celebration before they cut for the end of the show. All three women worked their butts off there. I'm not sure who put the match together, but that ending is just such an odd way to end WrestleMania. I feel like that's more of a Fastlane type of ending. If this is indeed Rousey's last match, why not have her put her over decisively? If she ever comes back, Becky puts her over then. Regardless, that was quite entertaining, but as I said earlier it lacked that extra component to make it the best match of the night.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Seriously, if you are so dead set on running a 7+ hour show, please make WrestleMania a 2 day show. You threw away what should have been a crazy special moment and made it half of the reaction it should have been by forcing the live crowd to be up past midnight for the main event. This was definitely a middle of the road Mania, thanks in part to a weak back half of the card until the main event. I liked the creativeness of the opening bout and it was impossible not to love both Kofi and Becky getting their big moments. I just wish they would have let the rest of the card live up to its potential.

Overall Rating: 74%