NXT Takeover: Chicago & WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Review

NXT Takeover: Chicago
Chicago, IL
Allstate Arena
6/16/18

Match #1

Undisputed Era (c) def Burch & Lorcan (NXT Tag Team Championship) via Pinfall

With the Revival and AOP now on the main roster and DIY split up one might have worried about the fate of the NXT tag team division, but worry no more as it looks like it's going to be just fine as this match was absolutely fantastic. If this feud continues it could definitely become the 2018 version of the DIY vs Revival rivalry, but this time a whole lot stiffer. I'm so glad we get great tag team championship matches on NXT because we sure as hell haven't got them on the main roster this year. There was so much greatness in this match and there is no way I can write about it as it has to be seen. The only thing that didn't happen in the match that I wish had happened was Pete Dunne coming out to counteract Undisputed Era having Adam Cole at ringside, but other than that this match was pretty freaking awesome. Rating: ***3/4

Match #2

Ricochet def Velveteen Dream via Pinfall

I love how because Velveteen is scared of Ricochet stealing his spotlight he decided to come out dressed as Hulk Hogan, a man who no matter what always steals the spotlight. On top of dressing like Hogan, Dream did the poses and cupped his hand over the ear. I hate to admit it but my podcast co-host was right when he said this could be the match of the night and oh man it was indeed. We all know how great Ricochet is and has been for a long time, but once again Patrick Clark puts on an amazing performance, even though this isn't the first time he has put on a match of the night caliber performance it still feels unexpected each time he does it.

These two went back and forth and had several memorable moments in the match such as the two doing their version of the Ricochet vs Ospreay avoid each others move and end with a pose sequence that became famous from their match in New Japan. Dream hits Ricochet with an awesome looking cartwheel DVD off the top and the look on Ricochet's face after the move did a great job of selling the damage done by the move. Dream hits Ricochet with a suplex off the apron onto the floor. Dream really needs to get a name for that DDT that he does. The finish of the match sees both men trading top rope dives onto the other and in the end Ricochet wins out by hitting the 630 to the back of Dream. I definitely want to see these two go at it again, hopefully, they can find a way to drag it out until Takeover Brooklyn in August. Rating: ****1/2

Match #3

Shayna Baszler (c) def Nikki Cross via Submission (NXT Women's Championship)

This match was going to have to do a lot in order to even reach the same level of the previous match, let alone surpass it and unfortunately, they didn't even come close as it was pretty underwhelming. The story of the match was pretty much Shayna beating the crap out of Nikki and Nikki taking the punishment and wanting more because she is crazy. Nikki gets in a few hope spots and even hits an inverted DDT on the ring apron. The finish comes when Shayna locks in the Kirifuda Clutch and after smiling, Nikki eventually passes out. This is probably the least impressive big match Shayna has been in since coming to the WWE and by no means is this a slight on either Shayna or Nikki as I love both of them, but this match just didn't click for me. Rating: **1/4

Before the next match, it was time to "Bask in his Glory" as Keith Lee is shown at ringside.

Match #4
Aleister Black (c) def Lars Sullivan via Pinfall (NXT Championship)

I really enjoyed this match and it was much better than I expected it to be. I liked that Black had to use absolutely everything in his arsenal repeatedly to even phase Sullivan. I thought Sullivan looked really good in his first lengthy singles match and didn't seem to give out any during the match which is something you have to worry about with bigger guys. I do worry about Sullivan using the diving headbutt as we have seen how well that has worked out for everyone before him. We got to see Sullivan pull out the stretch muffler which is a move that isn't a move we see all the time in WWE. The only real complaint I have about this match was Sullivan selling the one Black Mass that barely grazed his head. The fact that it took three Black Masses in a row for Black to gets the win was a great way to keep Sullivan looking strong. As weak as this match looked on paper going into the show, I have to say I wouldn't mind if this feud continues. Rating: ***

Match #5

Tomasso Ciampa def Johnny Gargano via Pinfall (Chicago Street Fight)

I liked the backstage segment before the match where Candice LeRae gives Gargano the crutch and tells him to go kick Ciampa's ass. This was the crazy brawl that everyone expected it to be and while it was a great match with lots of crazy spots, for me personally it didn't quite connect on the same level as their first match which I thought was an all-time great match. The reason for the disconnect for me could be the fact that the outcome was pretty predictable that Ciampa would win after Gargano won the first match. 

I liked that they brought back the spot where someone's sign was actually a stop sign, that is a spot I haven't seen since in a long time. Pretty interesting that the spot where Ciampa put the chair around Gargano's neck was just another move in this match whereas when it's done on the main roster it is used to put someone out of action for a while. Anytime someone pulls out handcuffs in a match I get flashbacks to Royal Rumble 1999 with Mick Foley and The Rock. It's always cool when the ring gets torn apart as that is something they do on rare occasions. I do love how they keep incorporating the crutch into different spots of the match as it has been a big part of the feud. 

Ciampa drags Gargano back to the stage and this is when he really turns his SOB dial up to the max as he trash talks Gargano and sends him into the LED board which was a great callback to last year when Ciampa originally turned on Gargano. In the one moment of the match where I really thought oh Tommasso Ciampa you are an evil and sadistic SOB he takes the wedding ring off Gargano's finger and spits on it and throws it across the arena, that may have been my favorite spot in the entire match and it wasn't even a wrestling move. Gargano makes Ciampa pay for that and hits him with an air raid crash through two tables in a spot that would get replayed for what felt like a hundred times. 

It's at this point Gargano notices his wedding ring is gone and this makes him snap as he grabs the stretcher that Ciampa has been placed on and wheels him to the ring and is hitting officials that are trying to get him to stop. I liked the repeated superkicks onto a handcuffed Ciampa which is a whole lot safer than repeated chair shots to someone who is handcuffed. Great way to end the match with Gargano's rage getting the best of him and him not thinking which allows Ciampa to capitalize and hit him with a DDT on the exposed wood of the ring to get the win. Really good match but not as great as their first, but I look forward to seeing what they bring to the table for Takeover in Brooklyn which should be the finale to one of the greatest feuds in NXT history. Rating: ****1/4

Once again Takeover delivered another great show with four out of the five matches delivering good to great matches and I'm sure this show will surpass whatever the main roster does at Money in the Bank, but thankfully they at least have the two ladder matches to help them get close to the same level as this show.  Show Rating: A

WWE Money in the Bank 2018
Chicago, IL
Allstate Arena
6/17/18

Kickoff Match

Bludgeon Brothers (c) def Anderson & Gallows via Pinfall (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Before I get to the match I have to mention that during the kickoff, Booker T took shots at CM Punk about his loss to Mike Jackson last week in the UFC.

This match was the norm for Bludgeon Brothers matches as they pretty much squashed Anderson and Gallows by knocking out Gallows for most of the match at ringside and working Anderson over. Anderson eventually makes the hot tag and Gallows clears house momentarily and it looks like they may even hit Magic Killer but Rowan breaks that up and the Bludegons hit their finisher for the win.
Rating: **

Match #1
Daniel Bryan def Big Cass via Submission

This was a really great way to start the show and it was much better than I had expected. It's good to see that Daniel Bryan can have great matches without going balls to the wall and risking his well being and I really enjoyed watching Bryan work over the leg throughout the match. This was probably Cass's best showing yet as he looked really good out there and played the role of the bigger power guy very well. Cass was u nice to see a super fallaway slam as I can't remember seeing that move since JBL retired. After seeing Cass use the torture rack in this match I kinda want him to change that to his finisher or even better keep using that burning hammer that he used toward the end of the match. Now I see why Cass's first program since coming back was with Bryan, it's because they knew Bryan could get a match like this out of Cass. Rating: ***

Match #2
Bobby Lashley def Sami Zayn via Pinfall

I really hope this feud is over as it has not been captivating at all and neither has Bobby Lashley since he has returned. This match was the one that I was least looking forward to and just as I expected it was nothing special and will be completely forgettable by next week. Zayn gets the advantage for a short while early in the match after catching Lashley coming in the ring, but once Lashley recovered and made a comeback it was all over for Zayn and after a couple of delayed vertical suplexes Lashley picks up the win with only one hand covering Zayn. Rating: *3/4

Match #3
Seth Rollins (c) def Elias via Pinfall (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
The 2018 WWE MVP Seth Rollins has added yet another stellar performance to his resume, even though Rollins has been on a role I still didn't expect this match to be as great as it was because up until this point Elias's matches haven't really clicked with me but thanks to Rollins I finally saw exactly what Elias has to offer in the ring and I liked what I saw. These two went all out for close to twenty minutes and it was great. I want to see more matches between these two if they are going to be this good. I do hope that next time they go against each other that one of them wears their hair up in a bun or something because it takes me a minute longer than usual to recognize who is who as they both have around the same body type and both have long black hair and beards. Rating: ***1/2

Match #4
Alexa Bliss def Lana, Natalya, Charlotte, Ember Moon, Becky Lynch, Naomi, & Sasha Banks
(Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match)
This match was really good for the 2nd (technically 3rd) Women's Money in the Bank Ladder match and I thought all 8 women put on a great show and all of them had their time to shine. Some people were upset that Alexa won and said that she didn't do anything and to that, I say of course she didn't she did just enough because she is supposed to be the smart but also chicken shit heel and it made a lot of sense given what would happen later in the night. I will say that while I am happy that Alexa won and went on to successfully cash it in later I do feel there were other women in this match that needed it a lot more than she did considering she just came off a title run two months ago. I think Becky (who the Chicago crowd was hot for) or Sasha could have benefited more from getting this as neither is really doing anything. One thing I can't figure out is why Bayley wasn't in this match as it would've been cool to see all four of the horsewomen in the match and they could've used it to further the Sasha vs Bayley story but I guess they have forgotten about that feud.

I thought Lana (who I was most worried about in a match like this) did a really good job and didn't look as out of place as I thought she would and she even took a slam on a ladder which is something I wouldn't have expected from her. Toward the end, I kinda started to root for Lana because you can see how much she has worked to get better and how much she loves being in there. One of my favorites spots was when Ember hit the springboard crossbody on Sasha onto a ladder. Sasha did some cool stuff during the match and none of it scared me that she was gonna kill herself so that was a good thing. I liked Charlotte's spear on Natalya from under the standing ladder into the ladder propped in the corner.  Really good match for the women and one of the best matches on the show. Rating: ****

Match #5
Roman Reigns def Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh via Pinfall

I had to rewatch this match closely as I almost seen none of it when it actually happened as I was in and out of taking a nap but when I was awake I was distracted by the antics of the crowd. I know this was a match that nobody cared about going into it and I know I certainly didn't, but after rewatching it on mute so I could concentrate on the match and not the crowd I have to say I actually thought it was pretty good for a Roman vs Jinder match. I thought this match had a good pace and wasn't dragged down by an extended rest hold segment which is always a detriment to any Jinder match. I loved the role Sunil Singh played in the match and he his bump off the Superman Punch by Roman was probably my favorite moment of the match. The only thing I can say negative about this match was that it shouldn't have been 15 minutes long, especially when you know a Chicago crowd isn't going to be into this match from the beginning you shouldn't give them a reason to do their own thing for that long, this could have easily had 5-6 minutes shaved off and been even better. Rating: **3/4

Match #6
Carmella (c) def Asuka via Pinfall (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Carmella may not be the best in the ring (although she is improving) but damn is she entertaining and fun to watch and has her character down point (loved the spot where she was in the ropes and was waving at Asuka). I feel that Carmella may have got too much offense in on Asuka in this match but the offense she did get in looked pretty good and Asuka was great in the match as always. Asuka took a nasty sounding flat back bump off the apron and then Carmella hits a suicide dive which may have been the first time she has ever hit that move which was cool. The climax of the match came when a mysterious figure appeared on the apron and this distracted and stopped Asuka in her tracks for a ridiculous amount of time until Carmella hits Asuka with a kick to the head for the win. The mysterious figure turned out to be the Chinless Wonder James Ellsworth in Asuka cosplay. Glad to see Ellsworth back and happy they paired him right back up with Carmella as they have great chemistry together and I can't wait to see what they do next with them. Rating: **1/2

Match #7
AJ Styles (c) def Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship - Last Man Standing Match)
Hallelujah! We finally got the AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura match that we have been waiting for and it was great, who knew that it would take them having to have a stipulation match in order to pull that great match out of them. It was a bit slow for the first five minutes but is picked up quickly and had a good pace for the rest of the match.

I liked how Nakamura kept preventing AJ from hitting the forearm on multiple occasions as it showed he had learned from their previous matches. The face that Nakamura made when he tried for the low blow and AJ moved was hilarious as he knew he had just screwed up. Nakamura did do one of my wrestling pet peeves when he ran across the announce tables and hit the Kinshasa as if it would hurt more that way than if he did it normally but since he wasn't driving AJ through the table it wouldn't have hurt any worse and just would've given AJ time to recover. AJ was lucky the leg of the table didn't hit him in the eye when he fell on it. Great facial expressions by Nakamura when he was begging off not wanting AJ to hit him with the chair. The ending where AJ got his revenge by kicking Nakamura in the balls was great and the Phenomenal Forearm was a great way to finish the match.

I have to wonder if this is truly the end of this feud or if they want to get one more match out of them next month where they can put them in another stip match for Extreme Rules before breaking them apart for separate SummerSlam programs. Rating: ****1/4

Match #8 & 9
Ronda Rousey def Nia Jax (c) via DQ (Raw Women's Championship)
Alexa Bliss def Nia Jax (c) via Pinfall (Raw Women's Championship)
Welp Ronda is two high profile matches into her WWE career and both of them have been pretty damn great, while she is still a bit shaky on the mic at times she has had zero problems in transitioning from her work in the octagon to her work in the squared circle, she has had no problem learning how to sell a beating and her offense is different and fun to watch. Nia also looked really great in this match and this is probably one of my favorite matches she has ever had. I really liked how Ronda got off balance and fell out of the ring to transition to the outside spot instead of Nia throwing her outside like we see in every match. We even got to see Ronda go up to the top and hit a nice crossbody in this match which looked nice even though for half a second she scared me thinking she was gonna lose her balance and fall backward. This is gonna sound kinda stupid but when Ronda hit the judo throw on Nia I felt like an MMA expert (even though I'm the furthest thing from that) for a second because I had to tell my dad that was a judo move.

We then see Alexa interfere as Ronda is trying to lock in the armbar on Nia and beat the crap out of her with her newly won Money in the Bank briefcase and throws Ronda over the announce table. Alexa then decides to make history and cash in her briefcase, making her the second person to ever cash in on the same night as winning it. After a DDT and a Twisted Bliss we have a new Raw Women's Champion and it's "5ft of Fury" Alexa Bliss. I'm happy to see her as champion once again, but even more importantly I'm stoked to see her getting into a rivalry with Ronda as this means she will be in the very top women's story in the company and if the feud is built right any feud with Ronda has a chance to main event a PPV. I thought both the match and the cash in segment were great and made everyone look strong, Nia didn't tap out, Ronda didn't lose and had a great match, and Alexa keeps being a great heel. Rating: ***1/2

Match #10
Braun Strowman def Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode, The Miz, Rusev, Finn Balor, & Kofi Kingston (Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match)

Here are some of the most notable spots during the match:

• I liked the spot where after being buried by ladders Braun crawls over and grabs the bottom of a ladder that Balor is trying to drag to the ring and then lays him out.
  
• I wasn't expecting them to catch Kofi when he did the dive to the outside so that was a pretty cool spot.
  
• Just when it looked like we were gonna get a repeat of KO coming off a very tall ladder and splashing Strowman he fights back again and throws KO off the ladder.
  
• There was one spot where I think Braun wanted to toss Kofi across the stage onto a pile of ladders, but he tripped over another ladder and the spot got messed up.
  
• The Miz did a great job of being scared to death after seeing Strowman run through a ladder.
  
• Rusev locks in a triple Accolade on Kofi, Roode, & Miz.
  
• Balor hits the Coupe de Grace on Roode from the outside of the ring to the inside, off a giant ladder set up at ringside.
  
• Great way to finish the match with Strowman hitting the powerslam on everyone and knocking Kofi off of his back before grabbing the briefcase.

The good thing about ladder matches especially multi-person ladder matches is that even the ones that aren't all-time greats are still a lot of fun to watch and this one was no different. The majority of the match was worked around the competitors trying to keep Braun down and him coming back multiple times and fighting back no matter what they hit him with, Braun was back to looking like the monster that we all loved in 2017 as he laid out everyone in his way. I was a bit disappointed to see Kofi in the match instead of Big E, but for the spots, he was featured in I can understand why he was chosen. Hopefully, this win will reset Braun and bring him back to being a killer that I fill he has lacked a bit this year and hopefully this leads to him capturing the Universal Title from Brock in the near future. Rating: ***3/4

This was a great show with five matches over ***1/2 and two of those were over four stars. This was probably the best Takeover and Main Roster PPV combo weekend they have ever had as there were so many highlights coming out of both shows. Show Rating: A- 

WWE Money in the Bank Weekend Match Rankings

15. Bobby Lashley vs Sami Zayn 

14. Smackdown Tag Team Championship 

13. NXT Women's Championship 
12. Smackdown Women's Championship 

11. Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal 

10. Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass 

9. NXT Championship 

8. WWE Intercontinental Championship 

7. Raw Women's Championship Matches 

6.  Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match 

5. NXT Tag Team Championship 

4. Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match 

3.  WWE Championship 

2. Johnny Gargano vs Tomasso Ciampa 

1. Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream 

Backlash 2018 Review

WWE Backlash 2018
Newark, NJ
Prudential Center
5/6/18

Kick Off Match 

Ruby Riott w/ Riott Squad def Bayley via Pinfall
Before the match, we get more arguing between Bayley and Sasha that will probably lead to nowhere once again as this circle keeps going around and around and around.

I really liked this match and it may be my favorite kickoff show match since the New Day vs Usos match back at SummerSlam. This is one of Ruby's better matches since coming to the main roster and it's nice to see her shine in a match that is given some time and had minimal shenanigans from Sarah & Liv at ringside. Bayley has a nice chain of pinning combinations at the start of the match. Bayley does all she can to overcome the three on one disadvantage but in the end, a distraction ends up costing her the match. Both women looked great in this match and I look forward to more matches between the two of them. Rating: **3/4

Match #1

Seth Rollins (c) def The Miz via Pinfall (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

This was an amazing way to start the show and set the bar really high for everyone else on the show. I will state that I am officially behind the idea of having Rollins be the one that ends up beating Brock Lesnar as he has had such a strong year so far and if he keeps this up he could be the 2018 WWE MVP. I'm so glad to see that over the last couple of years The Miz's in-ring work has finally caught up to his work on the microphone as he too is putting on really great matches and this match would pretty high on that list for me. It's rare that I fall for the near falls in a match, but I fell for a couple of them in this match. This match had me on edge as there was a moment when I thought they may do what many didn't expect and give Miz the title as the near falls were very believable and well placed in the match. I can't really say anything negative about this match except for Rollins hopping to the top rope after Miz kicked him in the bad knee that Miz had been working on during the match. If this is a sign of what I have to look forward to for the rest of the show this is going to be really good. It should also be noted that Miz got a big bruise on the side of his leg during this match.
Rating: ****1/4

Match #2
Nia Jax (c) def Alexa Bliss via Pinfall (Raw Women's Championship)

This was a pretty fun match with Alexa getting the best of Nia for most of the match and Nia getting a few hope spots of throwing Alexa around the ring. There was a spot where Nia was throwing Alexa from one side of the ring to another and I didn't really like it because Alexa looked like she was doing forward rolls from one side to the other instead of landing like I'm used to seeing during a spot like that. Really surprised Alexa got as much offense in as she did, in both of these matches against Alexa, Nia hasn't really looked like the unstoppable force as she gets beat up for most of the match only to come out in the last minute with a Samoan Drop to get a win. It will be interesting to see who gets to be Nia's next challenger and where Alexa will go after this as I would imagine she is going to be rotated out of the title picture for a while. Rating: **1/4

After the match, Nia cuts a feel-good promo about being yourself and anti-bullying which was really good and then it immediately gets ruined when you find out that was just so Michael Cole could plug their damn Be A Star program. Nia did more in that promo for the Be A Star program than Michael Cole could ever do schilling it and forcing it down people's throats. I never pictured Nia as a babyface and was even against it at the start of the feud with Alexa, but it has worked out great for her and I actually have come to like her as the babyface. On a side note, my heart broke seeing Alexa's sad face at ringside as she walked to the back. 

Match #3

Jeff Hardy (c) def Randy Orton via Pinfall (WWE United States Championship)

This was the match I was least looking forward to and for a good reason as this was pretty much a standard Randy Orton match and nothing else. Randy Orton has gotten to the point where when he comes out he instantly makes me turn my attention to something else as he brings any match he is in down, older Jeff Hardy hasn't been too much better lately as he is noticeably a lot slower than he used to be and he doesn't even have a unique character to fall back on like Matt does.  One thing I did like about this match was Hardy learning from his match with Orton ten years ago at the Royal Rumble as this time he blocked the attempted RKO counter of the Twist of Fate that Orton hit in 2008 to win that match. Rating: **

We get a really fun comedy segment with Elias coming out to sing only to get interrupted by New Day and then Rusev Day and then No Way Jose who was with his conga line which included Titus Worldwide and Breezango. This would lead to Bobby Roode showing up out of nowhere to hit the Glorious DDT on Elias and then everyone dancing to the back. Fun segment and a great way to kill some time.

Match #4
Daniel Bryan def Big Cass via Submission

This was an ok match, but far from any dream match that we had imagined with Bryan being back. Bryan doing tried to chop Cass down to size and gain control early until Cass used his power to turn the match in his favor and the longer he was in control the cockier he became. After much struggle from Big Cass and Bryan hitting him with crossface strikes Bryan would finally lock in the YES Lock to get the win. Not really to sure what else to say about this match as it was just there really and could've easily been any match you would see on Smackdown. Early on in the match, some idiots in the crowd were chanting for Enzo ugh. Rating: **1/4

After the match, Cass attacks Bryan and after throwing him around ringside he hits him with the Big Boot in the ring and stands over a fallen Daniel Bryan and this feud will continue.

Match #5

Carmella (c) def Charlotte via Pinfall (Smackdown's Women's Championship)

If you had told me that Carmella would beat Charlotte in this match completely clean with zero help from anyone I would have told you that you're insane, but that's exactly what happened in this match. This match was better than I expected it to be and Carmella had a good showing in her first major title defense and to me, she showed that she has improved quite a bit and is deserving of the spot she is in. Just like Alexa, Carmella's character work is really great (although the constant screaming does wear on you after awhile) and her in-ring skills are coming along quite nicely as well. There was a sleeper spot in this match and the by the way Charlotte was selling it I started to question if Carmella actually had the thing locked in for real as to me she sold it as if she was literally fixing to pass out. If Carmella keeps putting on performances like this and isn't a complete chicken shit heel the entire time she is champion then her title reign might be pretty fun to watch. Rating: **

Match #6
AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura - Double Countout (WWE Championship - No DQ Match)

It took an entire two years and a heel turn but I finally got another match out of Shinsuke Nakamura that I really enjoyed. This is the first match in a while where it actually felt like Nakamura wasn't just mailing it in and was giving the kind of performance that everyone wanted him to. I guess aside from the finish this match was exactly what I wanted it to be, a fun back and forth match with some weapons brought in to put the cherry on top. I bet that unintentional chair shot to the face of AJ hurt a lot especially since I doubt he was expecting it to do that. I liked that AJ finally got some payback on Nakamura by hitting him in the balls, but not sure how I feel about the double nut shot finish. The finish would've probably worked better if they hadn't just done a double count out finish 10 days prior at the GRR. I guess the only place to go now is a cup on a pole match or maybe a ladder match with a cup hanging above the ring instead of the title. Aside from the finish this was a great match and heel Nakamura is so much better and I love his kick-ass new music. Rating: ****

Match #7
Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley def Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn via Pinfall

This was a glorified squash match with a bit of comedy and tension with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Zayn wants to leave the match after getting worked over by Strowman but KO wants to stay and fight, KO and Zayn argue and throw each other into the ring until finally, Lashley hits the delayed vertical suplex on KO to get the win. Rating: *3/4

After the match Strowman hits Powerslams on both KO and Zayn.

Match #8

Roman Reigns def Samoa Joe via Pinfall

This match started out fine with Joe getting the jump on Roman before the match and putting him through a table, but once the match actually started it became a snooze fest as 90% of the match was Joe putting Roman in rest holds and Roman trying to make a comeback only to be locked in another hold. The latter part of the match did pick up some but never reached the level it needed to be at, this match should've been these two beating the shit out of each other for 15 minutes but instead, we got what we expect to see in a Randy Orton or Jinder Mahal match. As good as Roman is at taking a beating that is not what the fans want out of him as we want a bad ass guy who kicks ass and takes names, not a guy getting sympathy for an entire match and coming back to get the win. I did like the spot where Roman goes for the drive by but Joe caught him in the Coquina Clutch. The finish comes when Roman makes a miraculous recovery minutes after looking to be completely out of it (and also after being worked over for the majority of the match) to jump over Joe (who had him on the top rope for a Muscle Buster) and do a forward roll and then hitting a spear. This wasn't the worst match but it sure as hell wasn't as great as it could've been and have seen them have on Raw many times before. Rating: **

This show wasn't quite as bad as I've seen everyone says it is since I did get two 4 star matches out of it, but the main event was horrible and everything else was below average. Show Rating: D+

Backlash 2018 Match Rankings
9. Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn 

8. WWE United States Championship 
7. Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe

6. Smackdown Women's Championship

5. Raw Women's Championship 

4. Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass 

3. Ruby Riott vs Bayley 

2. WWE Championship

1. WWE Intercontinental Championship 

WWE WrestleMania Weekend Review

Welcome to my review for the biggest wrestling weekend of the year WrestleMania weekend. I will be reviewing the big WWE shows of the weekend (NXT Takeover, & WrestleMania 34). If this weekend turns out to be as great in reality as it is on paper then we are in for a treat as both cards look fantastic. There is no time to waste so let's get right to it.

NXT Takeover: New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Smoothie King Center

4/7/18

Match #1

Adam Cole def Velveteen Dream, Killian Dain, EC3, Ricochet, & Lars Sullivan
(NXT North American Championship - Ladder Match)

This was a great way to start the show as it definitely got the crowd hyped up with all of the high spots and overall carnage that the match consisted of. There was so much happening in this match that it's hard to cover everything, but I will do my best to cover the big spots. Early on Ricochet hits a springboard shooting star press to the outside onto Dain and Sullivan. Sullivan hits a press slam on Dream onto a ladder and then tries to climb but is stopped by Ricochet who tries to powerbomb him off of it but doesn't have the strength so everyone else helps him out and Sullivan crashes to the mat. Ricochet took a nice back body drop bump onto a ladder. Cole has a solo superkick party hitting everyone else that is in the match including Ricochet who he catches in mid-air. Dream hits a series of top rope elbow drops and then hits a beautiful looking Purple Rainmaker elbow off the top of a ladder onto Sullivan. In a throwback to the 1998 Royal Rumble match between Vader and Goldust, Dain hits a Vader Bomb on EC3 while Cole is on his back and Cole bounces just like Luna Vachon did in that match in 1998 when she was on Vader's back. 

Poor Ricochet gets tossed around the ring like a rag doll by Dain and Sullivan. Ricochet goes to climb the ladder but Dain tips it over and instead of falling to the floor like usual Ricochet hits a moonsault to the outside as the ladder is tipping over. Ricochet hits a shooting star onto EC3 who is laid out on a ladder. Dream bridges a ladder between the turnbuckles and another ladder, these two battle it out and at one point Dream's leg goes through the rungs of the ladder and this ladder is very unsteady. Dream hits Ricochet with the cartwheel DVD onto the bridged ladder and I love that move anyway, so doing it on the ladder was awesome. Sullivan lays Dream on a ladder that is bridged between the ring apron and the announce table and then hits the Freak Accident on EC3 through the ladder that Dream was laying on and then right after that Dain lays Ricochet on a ladder and slams Cole through that ladder as all six men are laid out at ringside. All six men fight on three ladders and Ricochet hits a super neckbreaker on Dream off the ladder and then Sullivan hits Dain with the Freak Accident off the ladder. The finish sees Sullivan climb the ladder but Ricochet jumps on him from out of nowhere and takes him down and then as Ricochet goes to climb he is pushed off by Cole who ends up grabbing the title to become the first ever NXT North American Champion.

This match was so much fun and had tons of crazy spots that you want to see in a ladder match. I thought Dain and Sullivan did a way better job in the match than I expected them to, especially Sullivan. All six men were excellent in the match and all had their time to shine, I couldn't have asked for anything more from these guys. Rating: ****1/2

Match #2

Shayna Baszler def Ember Moon (c) via Submission (NXT Women's Championship) 

This match started off hot with Shayna hitting a nice right hand on Ember knocking her out of the ring and then both women trade offense for a few minutes, The match really gets good when Shayna tries to step on the arm of Ember like she did in the past, but this time Ember was able to avoid it and then she stomps on Shayna's arm and now Shayna knows the pain that Ember went through in their last match. Then there is a spot that I've never seen in any match I've ever watched in my 20 years as a wrestling fan where Shayna drives her own arm into the ring post to pop her shoulder back in place and that spot alone bumped this match up a couple of quarters of a star as that is such a clever thing to do and I'm surprised it has never been done before. The finish comes when Baszler counters the Eclipse into the Kirifuda clutch and again does something really cool to sell the arm where instead of using the injured arm she uses one arm but grabs her own hair to allow for more pressure to be applied and eventually this makes Ember pass out and we have a new NXT Women's Champion. 

This was another really good match between these two women and I once again loved the working over of the arm and the selling this time by Baszler. I guess Ember is on her way to the main roster (I'm guessing by the time you see this she has debuted in the battle royal at WrestleMania) and I can't wait to see Shayna dominate the NXT women's division. They are really going to have to build up someone to be credible enough to eventually beat her. Rating: ***3/4

It's really interesting to see that Ronda Rousey is a babyface on the main roster but is friends with one of the top heels in NXT.

Match #3

Undisputed Era (c) def Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne & Authors of Pain w/ Paul Ellering via Pinfall (NXT Tag Team Championship)

This was supposed to be a tag match, but there wasn't much tagging at all as it turned into a tornado style match right away. AOP dominate early and send Cole through the announce table early on to write him off for the rest of the match. I liked the exchanges between Dunne and O'Reilly and look forward to a match between them in the future. O'Reilly has a cool spot where he locks Strong in a triangle while simultaneously having an ankle lock applied on Akam. The finish comes when Dunne hits The Bitter End on O'Reilly but when he goes to pin him it is broken up by...Roderick Strong. Roddy hits the End of Heartache on Dunne and drags O'Reilly on top to get the win and Undisputed Era not only retained the titles but also won the Dusty Rhodes tag team classic. After the match, Roderick takes the Undisputed Era armband off Cole and puts it on his own arm as he officially joined the Undisputed Era. This match was the weakest match on the card for me, but even with that being said the weakest match on a Takeover card is still pretty good. Pretty good surprise for the show as I definitely didn't expect Roddy to turn heel, looks like Dunne might have to find some friends to even the odds, perhaps some friends that have mustaches. Rating: ***

Match #4

Aleister Black def Andrade Cien Almas (c) w/ Zelina Vega via Pinfall (NXT Championship)

The fact that this match was amazing but yet could be the second or third best match on the card shows just how great this Takeover was. This match was full of strikes, dives, and Zelina Vega trying to help her man get the win only to cost him the win at the end. I liked how Zelina got the best of Aleister throughout the match, but at the end, he figured out how to use her to his advantage to pick up the win. This was yet another great showing for Almas and between this match and the match in January he has finally lived up to the hype that surrounded him coming into NXT. As much as I love Aleister Black, this was the only match that I was a bit disappointed with in terms of who won as I think Almas should've had a few more months with the title as he has been doing a great job along with Zelina Vega. I hope we get another match between these two before Almas goes up to the main roster as they do deserve to main event a Takeover. I also really hope the way this match finished doesn't lead to a break up of Zelina and Almas as they are a perfect match for each other and Almas really needs her by his side for the promos. Rating: ****1/2

Match #5

Johnny Gargano def Tomasso Ciampa via Pinfall (Unsanctioned Match)

Here are some random thoughts about what I enjoyed about this amazing match. I will say I was a bit surprised that we got "Fuck you Ciampa" chants as I didn't think the fans hated Ciampa (to the extent to chant that) as much as they just really love Gargano. I love that they pulled up the padding at ringside as that isn't something you see much anymore. It was nice to see that they only teased someone going through the announce table instead of actually doing it like you would see in most main event matches on the main roster. This match may have been one of few times where the crowd chanted "you deserve it" about something negative happening to someone when Ciampa got powerbombed on the exposed floor. 

I loved that the crutch was used so much during the match as not only does it fit in with the story, but it's also a weapon that isn't used to death in WWE matches. I loved the spot where they had a mini strap match using Ciampa's wrist tape as the strap and trading shots at one another. The first pinfall I fell for was after the first Project Ciampa (powerbomb onto the knees), the second one was after Gargano hit the lawn dart into the exposed turnbuckle and the basement kick after it and the third one was after the super Project Ciampa. I loved the spot with Ciampa taking off the knee brace so he can deliver the death blow, but Gargano uses the crutch to hit Ciampa in the injured knee. Gargano teasing stabbing Ciampa in the head with the crutch but then stopping was a great throwback to WrestleMania VIII with Piper and Bret Hart. We get a great call back to their CWC match when Gargano sits next to Ciampa just like in that match and right when Ciampa tries to use what seems to be a moment of hesitation by Gargano to his advantage Gargano outsmarts him and locks in the Gargano Escape. The final little cherry on top of this already fantastic match was Ciampa trying to grab the knee brace to hit Gargano with but, in the end, Gargano uses it to choke Ciampa and get the win and win the right to be reinstated to NXT.

Holy Shit what an exceptionally worked and emotional match this was, this is the kind of match you would expect in a blood feud like this and I can't say anything negative about it. There were a few times in this match where I thought the match was over and they actually got me with the near falls so much so that I actually jumped and voiced my surprise audibly which is not something I usually do when watching wrestling, but I got so invested in this match. I liked that they had Candice come down to celebrate at the end (by the way Dana Warrior there is only one cupcake in the WWE and it isn't your daughters it's Candice LeRae and she has a t-shirt that says so). Good luck to the men and women on WrestleMania trying to top this one match let alone the entire card. Rating: *****

This show was fantastic from top to bottom and may be one of my favorite Takeovers of all time with one five star match, two matches at four and a half and another match one quarter away from being four stars this was an all-time great card. Show Grade: A++

WrestleMania 34
New Orleans, LA
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
4/8/18

Kick Off Match #1
Matt Hardy wins 5th Annual Andre the Giant Battle Royal

As the entrants were making their way to the ring for this match, at the Kickoff panel Carmella came up and cut a fun promo on how everyone is talking about her and her MITB. I know Carmella isn't on the same level as her peers but I love her character work and she has improved in the ring some.

So we didn't get any individual entrances for this match as everyone was in the ring and there weren't any real surprises. This was your pretty typical battle royal with a lot of kicking, punching, and struggling in the corner. I liked how Breezango and Ascension played off their alliance by all wearing green. Shelton Benjamin hit a nice jumping knee to eliminate Breeze. Goldust paid tribute to his dad wearing polka dots on his bodysuit. There were a lot of tag teams in this match and a few of them had showdowns against each other and made me wish WWE took tag teams more seriously because if they did the Revival wouldn't be in this match. Towards the end, they did a face to face with Kane and Baron Corbin which is two big guys that nobody wants to see face each other. We get Matt Hardy and Tye Dillinger going back and forth with Ten and Delete chants and Delete won out as Matt eliminated Tye. 

The final three were Matt Hardy and two former winners of the match Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley. Corbin and Mojo team up on Matt until we get Bray Wyatt appearing in the ring as the same old Bray as before the lake of reincarnation so I guess that gimmick is dead (unless it's actually Jeff Hardy using Bray's body as a vessel). Bray sends Mojo to Matt who eliminates him and then Corbin hits End of Days on Bray and then goes to eliminate Matt, but instead Matt eliminates him to win the match. After the match Matt thanks Bray and they hug and then pose in the ring. This was completely fine and really fun and glad to see Matt get the win. Rating: **

Kick Off Match #2

Cedric Alexander def Mustafa Ali  via Pinfall (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)

I liked Mustafa Ali's entrance that was a mix of Glacier, Sub Zero, and DJZ. This match was much better on the second watch as I got a bit distracted when I was watching it live. You could tell that these two were stoked to be in their first mania match and they couldn't hide it as it was written on their faces, they also knew this was truly their moment to shine. 

I like how at the beginning of the match they were wanting the other to give them all they got. Not sure that I would've called for a rest spot in a WrestleMania cruiserweight match, but that is just a small critique. Ali got some nice air on that back body drop delivered by Cedric. We get a nice standing Spanish fly by Cedric but after much struggle on the top rope Ali is able to one-up him with a nice Spanish fly off the top rope. Ali takes a nasty bump to the outside as Cedric knocks him off the top rope and it was a nice touch that Drake Maverick ran over to check on the condition of one of the superstars on his brand. Ali is knocked loopy but tells Cedric to bring it. Ali makes a comeback and hits a reverse rana followed up by the 054 that got a near fall. The finish came when Cedric hit a series of spinning back elbows and was begging for Ali to stay down before hitting the Lumbar Check to get the win. This was really good and met the expectations, if I had one gripe I wish they had been given a few more minutes but other than that I have nothing but love for this match.

Rating: ***1/2

Kick Off Match #3

Naomi wins 1st Annual WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal

Paige and Beth Phoenix were both on commentary during this match and you could tell poor Paige wanted to be in that ring so bad and she even had to deliver a line that maybe next year she will be able to compete when she knows she will most likely never have another match. Becky Lynch got an individual entrance and I was thinking oh cool we get individual entrances, but I was wrong as the rest of the competitors came out as a group and then Bayley and Sasha got their own entrance. We got some NXT competitors in this match which were Bianca Belair, Peyton Royce, Taynara Conti, Kavita Devi, Dakota Kai, & Kairi Sane. Also worth noting that both Mickie James and Mandy Rose's shorts in this match made them very bootylicious lol.

So the match starts out with all the girls ganging up on Carmella and eliminating her and then after Natalya pulls her in the center they do the same to Dana Brooke, maybe it's just me but I didn't like this as it kinda made all the women look like mean girls and kept the narrative that WWE still push every now and then that all women are just catty bitches and none of them like each other. The NXT girls then team up and go after the main roster women and instead of an NXT chant starting organically they had to start it which is never a good thing when you have to start a chant. In another spot, I didn't care for Becky goes after Kavita Devi because of all reasons she is wearing the color orange which fits the narrative that women will fight over any little thing which is also false. 

There was some really bad camera work here as lots of eliminations were missed completely or barely caught like the elimination of Mandy Rose. Belair delivers a 450 on Sonya Deville and later on, she whips Becky with her hair. We come back from a commercial to see that Kairi is gone. I thought the Riott Squad worked together here better than they have for the entire time they have been a team. Peyton hits some nice spin kicks before getting eliminated. We get a portion where Bayley and Sasha are teaming up to eliminate people and I have to ask why, Bayley should be fighting Sasha every chance she gets after getting attacked by her a couple of weeks ago. 

We finally get down to Bayley and Sasha and instead of having a few minutes of them going at it we get Bayley outsmarting Sasha and eliminating her after Sasha shakes her hand. So it looks like Bayley had won the match but sometime during the match Naomi slid under the bottom rope even though I thought she was eliminated as they showed her many times laying on the floor. Naomi hits Bayley with a Rear View to win the match. I really wish they had done this but let Becky be the one instead of Naomi as Becky has nothing going for her right now whereas at least Naomi has Total Divas that she is featured on, Becky needs something to spice her character up. This wasn't as horrible on second viewing as it was when I watched it the first time, but it was still pretty bad. Rating: *1/2

Match #1

Seth Rollins def The Miz (c) & Finn Balor via Pinfall (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

I liked that Miz decided to do this all by himself and sent the Miztourage to the back as it is a new character development for this version of The Miz. I liked Rollins's blue contacts as they looked really cool and I wouldn't mind if he kept that look. When Balor came out last I was expecting the demon entrance but it was not to be, but his entrance representing the LGBT community was pretty cool and something I didn't expect. 

All three men were great in this match, but for me, Rollins was the star of the match as he continued his streak of impressive performances that he started during that gauntlet match. Some of the moves he hit in this match looked really good and crisp like the beautiful springboard out of nowhere onto Balor, the frog splash to break up the figure four by Miz on Balor, and finally the buckle bomb on Miz right into a superplex on Balor. I liked the attempted Skull Crushing Finale off the top that turned out to look more like a bulldog. Rollins finishes out the match with Curb Stomps on both men to get the well deserved win. I have never been as big of a Rollins fan as I am right now as he is finally putting on great performances on a weekly basis. For the past few weeks leading up to the show, I had this match locked in as the best choice to open the show and I'm happy to say I was absolutely right. These three men put on one hell of an opener and by the end of the match I was all positive about how the rest of the night could go, but that positivity went out the window by the end of the next match. Rating: ****1/4

Match #2

Charlotte (c) def Asuka via Submission (Smackdown Women's Championship)

I really liked Charlotte's entrance as it was a call back to her being apart of Triple H's entrance at WrestleMania XXX and now she is using NXT talent during her entrance as knights. The entrance made her feel like an even bigger star and even more important than she already is. Asuka had some cool 3D video effects that I had to question for a second whether it was just a video or actual masks hanging down from the arena.

I really liked this match up until the finish as I thought it had a nice quick pace and some good back and forth. I like how Asuka caught Charlotte when she was doing the moonsault and tried to lock in the Asuka Lock. There was a nice suplex to the floor by Asuka. We also got our third Spanish fly tonight done this time by Charlotte, this really seems to be a popular move. The spear that Charlotte delivered was pretty nice looking. The story of the match was Asuka working on an injured shoulder of Charlotte after knocking her off the apron into the barricade which was cool and worked into the finish with Charlotte having to use one arm to apply pressure for the Figure Eight, but the problem was Asuka's leg was never worked over in the match and she tapped out to a submission that affects the legs. I don't agree that the streak should have ended here as I feel there is still more you can do with it, but I guess if anyone had to break it I'm glad it was Charlotte as she is worthy of being named the breaker of Asuka's streak. I agree with Charlotte breaking this streak way more than I did with Brock ending Undertaker's streak the last time they were in New Orleans for WrestleMania. One thing I didn't care for was Asuka having to put Asuka over at the end as she was put over enough with the win itself.  Note to any future performers who have a streak don't perform at a WrestleMania in New Orleans as that streak will be broken. Rating: ****

Match #3

Jinder Mahal def Randy Orton (c), Rusev, & Bobby Roode via Pinfall (WWE United States Championship)

So the first thing I noticed about this match was that in the time between the Andre Battle Royal and this match Aiden English had shaved his head. While Rusev was over more than the other guys in this match he still wasn't over to the extent I expected him to be as they cheered during his entrance, but didn't get that loud for him during the match. This match was pretty much what you would expect from these four guys in a four-way match with nothing too special happening. For some unknown reason to anyone, they decided to stick this title on Jinder Mahal, I thought we were done with him being a thing after the India show last year where he got beat by Triple H.  Hopefully he drops the title on Tuesday to some new NXT call-up or something. I really thought Rusev would add something to this match but he really didn't and after it was over I was back to wishing the cruiserweights had made the main show instead of this match as it will be completely forgettable in a few months and will be the match I always skip when going over the matches from this show in my mind. Rating: **1/2

Match #4

Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey def Triple H & Stephanie McMahon via Submission (Mixed Tag Match)

So we got an entrance where Triple H and Stephanie ride down on motorcycles, isn't their entrance last year but even bigger and this time Stephanie got her own motorcycle. I was so glad to see Kurt back in his old ring gear and looking more like himself again. Ronda looked cute with her kilt skirt and I was worried about that shirt during the match as it looked like it was gonna raise up a few times during the match. I was glad to see Ronda was super over with the Mania crowd as I was worried she may get booed in her first match. Nice to see Drake Wuertz got to referee his first main roster match perhaps he got a promotion to the main roster.

I never thought I would say this going into the show but I believe this may have been my favorite match on the entire show. I thought this match was booked perfectly and Ronda looked like a star in her first match. I was worried Stephanie would get too much offense in and while she did get in some cheap shots here and there, anytime she would actually get Ronda in a hold Ronda would reverse out of it pretty quickly. Also, it wasn't like when Shane acts like he knows MMA Stephanie used the most basic common sense way of preventing the armbar which is locking the hands. The heels never got an advantage for too long before Ronda turned the momentum back in her and Kurt's favor. I loved that rolling cloehsline she delivered. I liked that they even had Ronda get the better of Triple H on a couple of occasions and I couldn't help but laugh at Triple H's comedic selling of the punches in the corner and the way his arms were flailing around. I didn't expect Ronda to lift Triple H so that was pretty cool even though Stephanie forgot her cue to pull Triple H off Ronda's shoulders. I liked the finish with Ronda finally getting the arm of Stephanie and making her tap out. This match was miles better than I expected it to be and I look forward to seeing what Ronda does next. Rating: ***1/2

Match #5

Bludgeon Brothers def The Usos (c) & New Day via Pinfall (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)

New Day had a fun entrance like they always do at WrestleMania with little people dressed as pancakes doing the worm. Also, Xavier was in full fro mode for this match. This match was worked more like a 4-on-2 handicap match than it was a triple threat tag match and the two pretty much dominated the four. Harper and Rowan were unstoppable monsters in this match and they had a way to stop anything New Day and The Usos tried to do to them. Bludgeons hit Xavier with a powerbomb into the ring post. I loved the spot where Rowan caught the Usos on their suicide dive. The finish comes when Rowan hits Kofi with a powerbomb and then Harper hits him with another one off the middle rope in a tribute to the Dudley Boyz.

This was a fun little sprint that I enjoyed a lot, but these three teams have way more in them and I hope down the line we get an actual match that is worked like a triple threat and not a handicap and I also hope they get more time in the rematch. Rating: ***

Match #6
The Undertaker def John Cena via Pinfall

So during the kickoff show, we are shown that Cena is actually sitting in the crowd like he promised and throughout the show, the camera pans over to him and he literally has the same damn stone faced expression every time. After the Smackdown Women's Championship match a referee runs down to tell Cena that Undertaker has arrived so Cena jumps the barricade and takes off up the ramp and to the back.

Later on, Cena comes out and is ready to face Taker, but a referee runs down and I guess Undertaker must have changed his mind so Cena goes to leave when the lights go out, but instead of Undertaker we get Elias who was nice to see but he eventually gets hit with an AA from Cena. Cena goes to leave again and the lights go out again and this time we see Undertaker's gear from last year in the ring and after a lightning bolt hits the ring the gear is gone and then finally Undertaker himself makes his way to the ring. Once the actual match starts Undertaker hits all of his big moves and then Cena finally is able to hit the spin out back suplex and goes for a Five Knuckle Shuffle but Undertaker sits up which scares the shit out of Cena in a complete overreaction. Undertaker gets to his feet and hits a chokeslam and a tombstone for the win.

This match in total lasted around two minutes and I felt completely robbed as I was hoping we would get an actual match between the two, if this is what we could expect from any future Undertaker matches then I want him done once and for all. I had to sit through three months of Cena talking about not having a WrestleMania match and calling the Undertaker out just for a two minute match between two of the biggest names in WWE history. I'm sure some people liked this and I'm sure it was great to see live, but for me, I just felt robbed of a real match. Rating: **

Match #7
Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon def Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn via Submission

I feel this match could've had three or four minutes shaved off of it and given to the Smackdown Tag Title match as this match felt a bit long especially the part where Shane was doing all the work. Clearly, from this match, Shane's condition can't be as bad as we all think or else there is no way he would be doing the stuff he was doing in this match. Shane's punches and strikes looked awful like always. Owens and Zayn did a good job in their role of working over Shane and talking trash to Bryan at ringside who had got powerbombed on the apron.

Once Bryan finally got in the match it picked up a lot and became lots of fun and it's so good to see Bryan back in the ring as he doesn't look like he's missed a beat. I did like that Bryan did a baseball slide instead of a suicide dive and also stayed away from doing the top rope headbutt. I was glad to see nobody turned heel and we got the match we wanted with Bryan coming out the victor. It will be interesting to see what they do with KO and Zayn now that they are "fired" I guess they will show up on Raw. Rating: ***1/2

Match #8
Nia Jax def Alexa Bliss (c) via Pinfall (Raw Women's Championship)

I love that Alexa got a special entrance that was sort of like the diet coke version of Charlotte's entrance but still getting a special entrance means WWE thinks your a big star. I really liked this match as it pretty much played out just how I would've wanted as Nia pretty much dominated Alexa at pretty much every turn with Alexa getting the advantage a few times after using underhanded tactics and Nia eventually overcoming the underhanded tactics and using her raw power to put Alexa away. I liked that Nia went ahead and dealt with Mickie right from the start so that she wouldn't play a part in the match, she threw Mickie all around ringside and then left her flat like a pancake on the outside of the ring with a Samoan Drop. I liked the finish where Nia hits Alexa with the Samoan Drop off the middle rope. This match was a rare occasion where I was rooting against Alexa as the only right way to end this feud was with Nia coming out the winner, but even though Nia did dominate most of the match Alexa still looked strong in her efforts to outsmart the bigger challenger. Rating: ***1/4

Match #9

AJ Styles (c) def Shinsuke Nakamura via Pinfall (WWE Championship)

I absolutely loved Nakamura's entrance with the band and Nia Strauss playing guitar, it was a bad ass entrance and it felt like it was the Nakamura concert. 

This match was a lot better on a second watch but I still don't think we got the absolute blow the roof off classic that we all expected from these two. The match started kind of slow but picked up toward the end. I enjoyed AJ in this match much more than Nakamura and I'm starting to feel that maybe Nakamura's style just isn't for me or maybe he isn't all that he was hyped up to be. I feel these two could have an even better match in the future and from what happened at the end of the match it looks like we will get to see them again. I absolutely didn't expect Nakamura to turn heel but it's definitely interesting and I'm ok with seeing what they do with him as a heel. I will say this match was really good but not quite an all time classic. Rating: ***3/4

Match #10
Braun Strowman & Nicholas def The Bar (c) via Pinfall (Raw Tag Team Championship)

The entire buildup around this match was who Braun Strowman was going to pick as his partner to face The Bar because he wasn't allowed to face them in a two on one match, so the rumors started circulating and people started guessing names that it could be Samoa Joe, Big Cass, Bobby Lashley, Big Show, Mark Henry, and hell even James Ellsworth was thrown out there as a possibility. So they leave this match as the next to last match and all through the show the anticipation kept growing as to who it could be and in the end, his partner was.... some freaking random kid out of the audience named Nicholas WTF!!!! I get that if this was a Make A Wish kid, ok that's fine but do stuff like this on house shows not on the biggest show of the year. If this was going to be the end result all long then why didn't they just make this a damn handicap match in the first place. I thought when he went out to the crowd he was going to get some wrestler sort of like when Santino Marella made his debut at least then it would be a credible guy with wrestling training. I couldn't even concentrate on the match itself because I was still trying to figure out what the hell is going on and in the end, we wind up with a 10-year-old kid who looked scared as hell as one-half of the Raw tag team champions WTF is going on with the booking of this WrestleMania? Ok, I have seen after writing this that the kid was the son of referee John Cone, but still, the point still stands. Rating: *3/4

Match #11
Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman def Roman Reigns via Pinfall (WWE Universal Championship)

This match was not that good and the finish was even worse. The match itself was bad and I'm sorry it wasn't because of Roman it was Brock who clearly got blown up and toward the beginning of the match felt like he was very reckless. I'm so tired of having a champion whos matches entirely consist of two moves and that's it, it was fun at first but now it has grown tiring. People complain about people having the "five moves of doom" well I would gladly take five moves over Brock's two. I did like when Roman speared Brock over the announcer's table. I was certain once Roman bladed he was going to be the valiant hero that comes back and wins but I was wrong, but what a great visual that we don't see much anymore with Roman's face covered in blood.

I still can't figure out what they are doing with Roman and if they don't have him be the one who takes down Brock then who the hell will as he was the one built up to be the guy and now he's obviously not. The story not only this year but dating back to how their first match ended at WrestleMania 31 set up Roman winning as the right end of the story. This is probably the first match where I was totally behind Roman and wanted to see him conquer the Beast and claim his spot as the guy as my hate for him has been peeled away (partly because of the case the Hales brothers have made for him as everything they said in his defense makes sense and they told the three year story that led to this match that WWE failed to tell). This was just a terrible way to end the show and to make it worse we get the very long shot of a dejected Roman walking up the ramp. Right before I posted this review I saw that Brock had re-signed and these two will have a steel cage rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble show in Saudi Arabia. Rating: **3/4


Overall this show was definitely surprising and not in the best of ways as at times it felt like they were doing surprises just for the sake of having surprises and in some of these matches predictable would've been the right choice. This show had some good in-ring action but a lot of confusing and pretty bad booking decisions. Watching some of the matches back and having a night to think about it I don't hate it quite as much as I did right after, but I still don't know if I would put it in the top half of WrestleManias. Show Rating: C+

WWE WrestleMania Weekend Match Rankings
19. WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
18. Raw Tag Team Championship
17. Undertaker vs John Cena
16. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
15. WWE US Championship
14. WWE Universal Championship
13. NXT Tag Team Championship
12. Smackdown Tag Team Championship
11. Raw Women's Championship
10. Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
9. Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs Stephanie McMahon & Triple H
8. WWE Cruiserweight Championship
7. NXT Women's Championship
6.  WWE Championship
5. Smackdown Women's Championship
4. WWE Intercontinental Championship
3. NXT Championship
2. NXT North American Championship
1. Johnny Gargano vs Tomasso Ciampa