WrestleMania 35 Review: Lesnar Loses, Kofi Reaches The Top, and The Main Event Botch

Another WrestleMania in the books. The event started at 5PM on the east coast, and it finished early Monday morning. WrestleMania did go smoothly for the most part. Overall the card was really good despite being major predictable. I went 11-5 on my predictions, and that gives me a winning record. Yes, I have been watching wrestling for years so you would expect me to be on the money with predictions but still. It's crazy I had that good of a record. 

Being predictable isn't always bad. Yet some of the execution fell flat. Like Brock Lesnar has been a mainstay for years. He lost in such an awkward fashion. Daniel Bryan's match with Lesnar was far better. Brock Lesnar shouldn't be wrestling for two minutes at WrestleMania. I know some fans are glowing that the man who has kept the title hostage is no longer champion. I disagree because that payoff was horrific. Honestly if you wanted a slay the beast angle you just give Finn Balor the title at Royal Rumble.The Lesnar match just was bad, and I do laugh at fans that actually think Lesnar is "sexist" and that he was *actually* mad he wasn't the main event. I feel like these fans try to act smart but then they forget the commentary team doesn't discuss real details. Lesnar could care less about not main eventing. He makes money either way. 

The four kickoff matches delivered. Tony Nese winning is cool and 205 Live is becoming WWE's niche brand among the NXT's. Carmella winning the battle royal was a smart call. Still don't know why WWE treats Mickie James so bad. Hawkins and Ryder winning gold again is crazy. Then Braun is going to Braun. Still a lot of guys in that battle royal could've been used in better matches. 

AJ Styles taking on Randy Orton was fine. It had potential to be match of the but it didn't quite get there. Orton can still give fantastic performances, and Styles still matches up well and gets the most out of anyone. 

The fatal four way for the SmackDown tag team titles was exhilarating due to the amount of talent in that match. Considering most of the talent could've had their own WrestleMania singles matches. A lot of the players in this match will be in more significant roles at WrestleMania 36.

Shane McMahon taking on The Miz was a fun brawl. The Miz losing added an element of surprise. Falls Count Anywhere proves to be a well-done concept especially at WrestleMania. The IIconics won the tag team championships. Hopefully, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce hold the titles until next year. Make the new belts prestigious. This is where I do give WWE props from not putting the titles on Nia Jax and Tamina. 

Kofi Kingston finally overcame Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. The match had all the close falls and emotional cues. Kofi Kingston winning the championship was probably the best moment overall at WrestleMania. Not to mention Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan put on the best overall match at the event. It was really one of the only moments where I thought to myself. 

"This is something we will remember a couple years from now." 

Most of the WrestleMania results were happy. Also, this year's Mania was really good. I wouldn't say it is anywhere near the best ever. Maybe the event will age better with time. Despite the odd predictability. The event did provide some shining moments. Like the Ron Simmons cameo along with the Scott Hall and Kevin Nash segment. Plus the Hall of Fame class was so good this year that segment was fun to watch. 

Now back to the rest of the card. Samoa Joe put  Rey Mysterio to sleep. Poor Rey didn't deserve that. WWE should've called an audible. Have Samoa Joe face off with someone else. Then we got Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre which was fine with the ten minutes it got. I think fans were still reeling from Kofi that these next two matches were going to be whatever either way. 

Now the match of Batista and Triple H was fantastic. I get fans wanted it to go faster because there was a lot left on the card. I didn't care. This was a complete story. Batista came back and attacked Ric Flair. In the match they lived up to the "No Holds Barred" standard. Which is crazy to think that all the older guys do hardcore stuff (Shane, Batista, and HHH) and none of the younger guys do hardcore stuff. The match was a fantastic finale for Batista's epic career. 

Baron Corbin beat Kurt Angle. Which ended Angle's illustrious career. I guess Kurt Angle follows the dumb "go out on your back" tradition that I hate. Corbin has gained a big win on his resumè. 

Finn Balor taking on Bobby Lashley was truly whatever. It's sad to see the lack of care for The Demon character. It's also sad that match we have seen on RAW and countless pay-per-views was on the card at WrestleMania. 

The Main Event

Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey were the main event of WrestleMania. Even though the ref got the punishment. They botched the ending of the match. It was just terrible psychology. If Becky was suppose to end the match with Rousey tapping out a la to Daniel Bryan tapping out Batista. They shouldn't of attempted that cover. The poor ref went too fast, and it ruined the big moment. The rest of the match was alright. It wasn't earth shattering by any means. 

The match was alright. It could've been better. Overall it was a fun main event despite starting at midnight. 

WrestleMania 35 was a charismatic event despite being way too long. It had few memorable moments. Overall, it was good event but on the scale of WrestleMania it feels smalls. Maybe WWE is over doing it and that's why WrestleMania felt less special. The matches were good. Some of the booking wasn't as smart and WWE has the most stacked roster in the world yet they aren't utilizing it to its full potential. My favorite matches were easily Kingston/Bryan, HHH/Batista, and Miz/Shane. The key point is that storylines matter. That's why Rollins/Lesnar wasn't as exciting because the story was non-existent. We can even make the same argument that the main event forgot what made it the main event. 

WrestleMania 35 was a successful and grand watch despite being too long and forgetting what made WrestleMania special. Hopefully, WrestleMania 36 can continue the success of Mania but adjusting the overall approach. More storytelling and less matches would benefit the event. Make every match important and make every match feel like a dream match. 

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