WrestleMania 38 came and went with an actual thumbs-up from yours truly. I may have forgotten some stuff due to the huge amounts of alcohol that I consumed during the two nights. Here are some thoughts about the event.
THE BIGGEST MATCH IN WRESTLEMANIA HISTORY FELL FLAT
At least, the crowd in Arlington wasn't chanting "Boring" or "This is awful." However, both Reigns and Lesnar continue to go through the same motions as the other two encounters. Suplex, F5, Superman Punch, Spear......Rinse, repeat. I'm not upset that Reigns emerged victorious, I'm upset that the match lasted only 12 minutes. The main event of the biggest show of the year should last over 20 minutes. Am I right or wrong? If this is the case, don't ever do Reigns vs. Lesnar again.
STONE COLD AND CODY MAKE SURPRISING RETURNS TO THE RING
In Cody's case, back to a WWE ring. His entrance as Seth Rollins's mystery opponent gave the AT&T Stadium crowd something to crow about. The roar showed the appreciation to Cody should have gotten in AEW. The match was competitive and revealed why these two are the best workers in the squared circle. The company did the right thing to showcase both men in a great encounter instead of having a squash. Cody notching the win gives him and Rollins a platform to start a great program. I pray WWE sees it like that.
They pushed the KO Show segment to the main event and I really knew. They were going to have a match. I had concern based on the fact Stone Cold had to retire due to neck and knee issues and hasn't had a competitive contest in almost 20 years. When Kevin Owens challenged him to a match, I figured Kevin Owens was going to protect Austin at all costs, because of his experience in the business. The match was solid. Austin looks like he's in great shape for a man approaching 60. No disrespect there. I enjoy matches that make both men strong as this encounter did. I believe KO should be challenging in a main event because of this and if you can feature Austin in another match in the future, I'm all for it. By the expression on Stone Cold's face, he is probably all for it. More on this later.
EDGE AND AJ STYLES DIDN'T DISAPPOINT......BUT THE ENDING SURE DID
As expected, Edge and Styles put on a wrestling clinic for the wrestling fans who craved old school grappling. Counters, armbars, headlocks, etc. etc. Both have chemistry and the veteran savvy to create the feud of the year in 2022. As Styles prepared to execute a high-risk maneuver, Damien Priest appears and distracts Styles. AJ flies into a spear by Edge, which was a nice-looking move, and a three count. Now, the match was good, but having Priest appear to distract AJ ruined the ending. Could have had Priest appear on Monday Night Raw to start the union with him and Edge.
BECKY VS BIANCA HAD THE PAYOFF WE NEEDED
Hello, lads. Do you want to learn how to book a long-term program? Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to execute that plan.
Step 1: Have your top face lose her championship to the returning heel in seconds.
Step 2: Get a rematch between the two, where the dastardly heel cheats to get a victory.
Step 3: Book the heel into championship matches against the second tier of the division.
Step 4: At that same time, have the face go through adversary.
Step 5: Tease the fans about another encounter between the two.
Step 6: Have the face put on an amazing performance in the company's most decorated battle royal event.......but she loses. However,
Step 7: Have the face put on another amazing performance to earn a match for the championship she lost.
Step 8: Build up this rivalry for their match on the biggest show of the year.
Step 9: Have both competitors come out to extravagant entrances at WrestleMania.
Step 10: Have the best match of the event.
Step 11: Book the face into finally getting her revenge and winning the title back.
See that, I'm not a wrestling "expert", but this is legit story-telling.
Charlotte and Ronda was OK. Flair getting the shocking victory over Rousey, prolongs a story between the two.......but let's be honest, the talk was Charlotte's wardrobe malfunction which caused Peacock to cut the feed for a few.
The gimmick match was way too long. 14 agonizing minutes. It was longer than the main event. Having Johnny Knoxville making a veteran wrestler like Sami Zayn look foolish was hard to watch. Zayn has that extension from the company and hopefully, we won't have to see him get smacked by giant hands, fall off turnbuckles due to exploding ring posts or get trapped by gigantic mouse traps anymore. Also, getting slammed by Wee Man was a downer.
Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley had bathroom break matches at this year's WrestleMania and did what they were asked of them. Now, management needs to put these two in main events, where they belong.
WWE needs to stop inviting the Paul brothers to WrestleMania. These aspiring "boxers" give this aura that wrestling is beneath them. Logan did execute a picture perfect leapfrog during his match with the Mysterios. As much as I criticize Bad Bunny, he seems to have respect for the business, while Jake was being a complete doofus on the panel before the Saturday event.
The company is pushing Gable Steveson before he even steps foot into a ring. They featured him on both nights and he did a spot with Chad Gable. WWE is counting and hopefully, preparing him to be the one who is the face of the company for the next generation.
Triple H came out to start Sunday's event and left his wrestling boots in the ring, symbolizing the end of his career. A surreal moment for a legend in the business.
The Undertaker made an appearance on Sunday and he shed a tear while walking towards the Gorilla position. That made me shed one also. Mark Callaway portrayed Taker for 30 years and he became one of the most captivating performers in the company's history. Now, he took his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
And finally, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory. I decided to put this on a pedestal. Two future stars put on a solid match for the over 70000+ at AT&T Stadium. Pat gained the victory, but called Vince McMahon into the ring. Yep, it was going to happen. 76 year old Vince was having an impromptu encounter at WrestleMania. Ugh! For three minutes, the now withering McMahon beat McAfee to a chorus of boos and me with my head in my hands. But this led to a segway with Austin coming out and sharing a beer with Vince. Austin stunned Vince and led to the worst sell of a Stunner of all-time. Then McAfee shared a beer and he was stunned. If I learned something from this, don't share a beer with Steve Austin while in a wrestling ring or else he will stun me. Also, I mentioned earlier about Austin's expression throughout the two nights. He had a big smile on his face. The euphoria of seeing 70000+ cheering him in his home state must have made this badass look humanized for a weekend.
So, there you have it. WM 38 was light years better than the show six years ago. It set records for social media engagements and revenue. Hopefully, next year's two-night event in LA can top this.
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