Just rewatching Wrestlemania now. Thought I would post some thoughts from last night.
I actually really liked the stage, however those palm trees looked terrible for the live audience. I went to a house show last year and Big Sexay blocked my view of the match when he was stood in the corner so I can't imagine how frustrating a 100ft plastic fucking tree would be.
D-Brine vs Sheamus
I can see what they were trying to do. I really can. Bryan had some amazing heat as a despicable, arrogant heel. It puts Sheamus over as an explosive badass. Bryan got his comeuppance not due to inferior wrestling ability but over-confidence. It makes sense for his character, should lead to some interesting promos etc in the coming months. It really could let Daniel Bryan take it to a new level as a heel. My friends that don't really know Bryan's back story loved it and it did get a big reaction at the start of the show.
All that being said....
Daniel Bryan is the best wrestler in the world. He has worked amazingly hard throughout his career and has raised his game in the last few months. He was over as a heel with the mainstream audience and the 'IWC' love to watch him. I was convinced that this would be one of the matches of the night. I knew and was happy for him to lose but last night was the opportunity for Bryan to become a
fucking megastar. The new Randy Savage and Elizabeth. You had so many fresh or returning eyes and you had a chance to show them right off the bat that wrestling can be awesome and that there are bright spots in the WWE's future.
18 fucking seconds. I couldn't have cared less if it had happened on Smackdown but Wrestlemania is a crowd of people that love wrestling and many have spent thousands to be there. They wanted to see Bryan wrestle. They were ready for it and I feel it was wrong to market it as a main event match.
Orton vs Kane
Just a match. Kane won. Not bad but not memorable either.
Rhodes vs Big Show
Cody is one of my fave five, but the right man won here. As has been mentioned, with the build this should have been the match that lasted 18 seconds. I am happy for Big Show as I think he was brilliant in the Mark Henry/Daniel Bryan stuff last year and Cody had the belt for forever and hopefully will now move up the card.
Diva Match
What was expected. Wasn't too bad but when this match went so much longer than Bryan's it was a bit much.
Triple H vs Undertaker
Great match. Story-telling was fantastic. I was unsure about HBK being involved but I shouldn't have been. Still the real 'best in the world at everything he does' even if that is being a special guest referee. Him looking like a concerned child when mommy and daddy are beating the shit out of each other was great. The superkick/pedigree was an amazing moment as was Taker's sit up and H's reaction. Crowd were awesome, great atmosphere and a true Wrestlemania moment. A bit of blood and Taker's bruises looked insane. Better than last years and maybe better than their match at 17.
I miss Edge
Team Teddy vs Team Johnny
Glad Team Johnny won. Only real memorable moments for me was Dolph's amazing 450 monkey flip and Johnny's celebration. Eve is a good heel.
Punk vs Jericho
It did take a while to get going and I do think the crowd were still recovering from the End of an Era match. Ultimately though the match was great but the stipulation mean that they started with taunting stuff instead of awesome wrestling which is how it should have started. Finish was godly and I feel that, although they didn't immediately click in this feud, there could be some amazing matches to come.
Brodus Clay
I would have rather have seen him wrestle but the crowd appeared to love it and it's Wrestlemania. You are always going to get some of this shit. I do actually think the show had a surprisingly low amount of this stuff, but that it was amplified by the length of the Daniel Bryan match.
MGK/Flo Rida
There is always live music at Wrestlemania I just wish that they had spread it out earlier in the night rather than before each person's entrance.
Cena vs The Rock
The crowd were super into this and it helped massively. Neither of these guys are HBK but the match was good and was elevated by the crowd. Too much reliance on crappy submission manoeuvres at one point but marked out for the old 'getting the hand up on the 3rd attempt' spot from The Rock. The finish was
perfect. Cena lost because of his biggest character flaw, his invincible arrogance. Seeing cena sat on the ramp having lost everything was a great sight. The fact that Rock won't be around means that he is going to have to deal with it. No Rematch on Raw or win at the next PPV. He is going to have to dwell on this for a while. I just hope that the writer's and Cena take advantage of what is a fantastic opportunity to develop the character and do an interesting build for any rematch that might be on the cards.
I'm glad Brock didn't show tonight although I would be glad to see him back. Better as a Raw moment I think.
Overall
I enjoyed the show and I am just up to the main event on my second watch. If the Daniel Bryan match had actually happened and been good this would have been one of the best modern Wrestlemanias. As it is I feel that it will go down as mid-tier. It was no 17 that's for sure but it was a lot better than last year (it really, really was).
