WWE WrestleMania 39 (April 2023)

Original Airdate: April 1-2, 2023

From Los Angeles, California; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary, with Miz and Snoop Dogg acting as our cruise directors

Night One

Opening WWE United States Title Match: Austin Theory v John Cena: It’s WrestleMania, so I’ll be tracking the time between bells for this. 16 minutes before the opening bell here. Cena has a bunch of Make-a-Wish kids with him for his entrance, which is pretty great. Feeling out process to start, dominated by Cena, so Theory tackles him down for mounted punches. Theory with a snap suplex for two, and a second snap suplex gets another two. Another one, but Cena reverses this time. John tries a corner whip, but Theory reverses, and delivers a somersault neckbreaker for two. Rolling dropkick gets the champion two, but a second one misses, and Cena turns the miss into an STF. Theory escapes, and stomps the challenger down, until Cena pops up with an Attitude Adjustment attempt, but Theory counters with a DDT for two. Theory with a corner clothesline, and he grabs a sleeper, but Cena escapes, and makes a comeback. Five Knuckle Shuffle leads to the AA, but the referee gets bumped, allowing Theory to escape. Cena traps him in an STF instead, and Theory taps, but there’s no referee. Cena fails to notice that minor detail, and he lets off the hold thinking that he’s won, allowing Theory to recover with a low blow in the confusion. Theory adds a fireman’s cutter to retain at 11:19. This wasn’t very good or exciting, as Theory was really dull and repetitive, and it felt like he was simultaneously trying too hard and being lazy. ¾*

Fatal Four-Way Match: The Street Profits v The Viking Raiders v Braun Strowman and Ricochet v Chad Gable and Otis: 9 minutes between bells here, and Titus O’Neil joins us on commentary, for whatever reason. I don’t dislike Titus in general, but he doesn’t add anything on commentary. If you’ve been reading my work for a while, you know that these multi-man car crash matches are not my thing. Gable hitting Braun with a German suplex is a highlight here, as is Angelo Dawkins winning a shoulderblock battle with Braun on the outside. Dawkins then pins Ricochet at 8:27. Those digital billboard style ads that cover the ring posts, apron, and barricade are simultaneously awesome and tacky. ¾*

Seth Rollins v Logan Paul: 14 minutes between bells. Seth gets a big star entrance here. Posturing to start, and Logan dumps him to the outside, then stops to mock Seth’s entrance. Rollins doesn’t take it well, and tackles him down for mounted punches, but Paul fights him off on the apron, and delivers a slingshot somersault clothesline. Paul works the body with rights and lefts, but Rollins blocks a firemans carry. Seth tries a corner splash, but Paul dodges, and uses a flying bodypress ahead of a standing moonsault for two. Logan with a Russian legsweep into an octopus hold, but Rollins fights free, so Paul uses a gutwrench suplex for two. Paul with mounted punches, but Rollins dodges a springboard flying moonsault, which, holy shit. I mean, the dude just leapt all the way to the top rope in one go, without even a running start… that’s crazy athleticism. Rollins makes a comeback, and he chucks Logan over the top to set up a trio of topes. Seth curbstomps his hand on the steps out there, but Logan beats the count, so Rollins sets up a pedigree, but Paul blocks. That triggers a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Paul hitting him with a knockout punch, but Logan’s hand is still messed up from the curbstomp, and he’s slow to cover - Rollins kicking out at two. Seth comes back with a sitout powerbomb for two, so Logan’s mascot distracts Rollins, and Paul is able to shove him into the post. Logan preps an announce table, and the mascot holds Seth in place, but Rollins slips away, and Paul puts himself through the table with a dive! Rollins rushes him back in for the pedigree, but Paul gets a shoulder up a two. Seth looks for the curbstomp, but Paul counters with a GTS, and Logan dives with a flying frogsplash for two. Paul keeps coming wit a flying seated dropkick from corner to corner, but Seth throws a superkick to block, and adds a curbstomp at 16:15. This was a good match. It felt big, and there were big spots to go along with it, but at its heart it was basic storytelling, instead of just spots. *** ¼ 

Six-Woman Tag Team Match: Becky Lynch, Lita, and Trish Stratus v Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky: 10 minutes between bells here. This marks Trish’s first match of any sort since SummerSlam in 2019, and Lita’s first WrestleMania since 2002, which, wow. Big brawl to start, with the babyfaces cleaning house. Becky hits Kai with a baseball slide on the outside, and she rolls her in to get us properly started. Sky quickly uses a distraction to allow Kai a cheap shot, and the heels gang up on Becky in their corner. Sky with a springboard flying dropkick for two, and a triple team neckbreaker combo gets Kai two. They continue cutting the ring in half on Lynch, until Lita catches a tag, and runs wild for a bit. Or, ‘wild,’ as everything she’s doing feels like it’s at half speed. She dominates Sky for a bit, but a cheap shot from Kai allows Sky to turn the tide. The heels triple team her, cutting the ring in half on their new victim. She fights off a double team for a tag to Trish, and Stratus runs wild. She looks to be in much better shape out there than Lita, not sucking wind like crazy. Neckbreaker on Dakota gets two, but a corner charge ends badly. Kai goes up to the middle, so Trish tries the handstand rana, but Kai blocks, and the heels pull Trish to the outside. They gang up, but Becky and Lita save, and Trish sends Kai flying with a handstand rana on the floor! Inside, Trish uses a spinebuster for two, and Becky tags in to hit Kai with a flying legdrop for two. Lynch with the Dis-Arm-Her, but Bayley saves. Bayley drills her with a facebuster, but Lita saves at two, and Roseanne Barr the door, we’ve got a kettle on! Everyone trades signature moves, and we get a dogpile spot on the outside off of Sky using a flying moonsault press. Everyone beats the count, and the referee tries restoring order, but to no avail. Lita hits a double flying moonsault on Kai and Sky, and Becky drops Bayley with a uranage off the middle rope for the pin at 15:04. This was more entertaining that it was properly ‘good,’ but sometimes that’s fine, especially with shows like this. * ½ 

Rey Mysterio v Dominik Mysterio: 15 minutes between bells. Great old school buildup for this one. And a great entrance for Dominik, who looks shockingly like a young version of his dad when sporting the mask. Like wow, if you told me that was a shot of Rey on Nitro in 1996, I wouldn’t even question it. Meanwhile, the actual Rey gets driven out by Snoop Dogg, complete with Nuthin' but a G Thang playing. Dominik with a takedown out of the initial lockup, and he does the Owen Hart celebration. Nice reference. Dominik with a second takedown, but Rey wins the third go around by dumping him to the outside. That pisses Dominik off, and he knocks his dad around a bit, but loses a criss cross when Rey uses a headscissors takedown. Dominik stalls to break the momentum, and slaps his dad across the chops after challenging for a test-of-strength. Rey responds with another headscissors takedown that leaves Dominik sprawled across the middle rope, and Rey unloads a few shots with his belt to capitalize. Dominik responds by throwing a drink in his little sister’s face, and he nails Rey when dad goes after him. Dominik sends Rey into the post with a catapult, and the crowd is giving him real heel heat. Dominik with a slingshot somersault senton splash for two on the way back inside, and a cross corner whip follows. Dominik works an abdominal stretch next, but Rey escapes, and hooks an armdrag. Dominik fights him off, and uses a springboard armdrag into a scoop sitout brainbuster for two. Dominik snaps his throat across the top rope before stopping to taunt his mom and sister, and Rey tries a dive, but misses. That allows Dominik to get in his mom’s face, but she slaps him, and Rey sends him into the post to create separation. Rey with a flying seated senton on the way back in, and a springboard bodypress follows for two. Rey with a sunset bomb for two, but Dominik blocks a suplex, as Finn Balor and Damian Priest show up at ringside. Dominik sends Rey into the turnbuckles in brutal fashion for two, and draws more heat by trying the rolling vertical suplex, but Rey blocks the second alarm, and nails him with the 619. That sets up a dive, but Priest interferes, and Dominik recovers. Electric chair, but Rey uses a headscissors to send both guys over the top, so Judgment Day approach… only for the lWo to make the save! Inside, Dominik clobbers Rey with a clothesline, and a catapult sets Rey up for a 619. Dominik goes up with a flying frogsplash from there, but Rey gets a shoulder up at two. Dominik responds by undoing a top turnbuckle pad, but it’s a strategy to distract the official, and he pulls a chain out when the referee takes the bait. Bad Bunny takes it away before Dominik can use it, however, and Rey recovers with another 619 to set up a flying splash at 14:29. This was another one that was more entertaining than strictly good, but it succeeded well in that regard, and felt like a satisfying payoff to a strong angle. A lot of overbooking, sure, but it didn’t feel out of place, and Dominik is really good at playing a heel. ** ½ 

WWE Smackdown Women's Title Match: Charlotte Flair v Rhea Ripley: 12 minutes between bells. A surprisingly lowkey entrance for Charlotte this year. Charlotte gets a tear in her stockings during the initial lockup, so you know this is going to be good. Flair gets control and clotheslines her challenger over the top, and I think she’s happy about it, but her face doesn’t really express emotion well. Rhea comes back in to turn it into a slugfest, but Flair holds her own, and big boots her. Flair goes upstairs with a flying bodypress, but Ripley blocks the follow up, so Flair pounds her into the corner to make her point that way. Ripley fights back with an electric facebuster into the top turnbuckle, and she keeps pounding her, but Charlotte just won’t back down. Rhea throws her into the corner to take some pep out of her step, and the challenger works a bodyscissors. Rhea keeps hammering the back, and a German suplex gets her two. Ripley with a pair of short-clotheslines, but Charlotte fights her off to buy a little time, and she sends Ripley into the corner when Rhea advances. Flair makes a comeback, and just goes to work with chops, but Ripley rolls through another flying bodypress into the Riptide, but Flair counters with a DDT for two! Figure four, but Ripley uses a cradle for two, and both pop up with big boots for a double knockout. They stagger up for a slugfest, won by Flair with a suplex. She goes up for a moonsault, but Rhea pops up with a German superplex for two before the champion can leap. Ripley tries a side suplex, but Flair clips the knee to block, and delivers a somersault cutter for two. To the outside, Ripley dodges the champion, and sends her into the steps. Inside, Ripley quickly hits her with a side facebuster for two, but Flair counters another Riptide attempt with a German suplex. Charlotte tries a second German suplex, but Rhea reverses. Another one, but Flair counters with a big boot. Figure four, but Ripley blocks, so Flair dumps her, and dives with a flying moonsault press on the floor. Inside, Flair tries the figure four again, but again Ripley blocks. Ripley with a headbutt to set up the Riptide for two, and she doesn’t know what to do from there, allowing Flair to surprise her with a cradle for two. Ripley responds with a standing cloverleaf, but Flair makes the ropes, and sends her into the corner on the break. Flair with a spear for two, and a slugfest rattles Ripley enough that Charlotte gets the figure four on… only for Rhea to make the ropes right away. Flair takes her upstairs for a fallaway slam off the middle, but Ripley bashes her head into the post to block, and Flair is limp. That allows Ripley to turn it into a Riptide off the middle for the title at 23:34. Hmm, I dunno. I know this one has gotten basically universal acclaim, but I wasn’t feeling it. It wasn’t a bad match by any stretch of the imagination, but it felt like everything else they do. Maybe just a harder hitting version. ** ¼ 

Miz v Pat McAfee: This is an impromptu match, after Miz and Snoop come out to announce the attendance, and McAfee answers Miz’s open challenge. 9 minutes between bells. Pat wrecks him in the corner, and a spinebuster connects. Upstairs for a superplex, but Miz blocks. Miz dives, but McAfee is ready with a superkick, so Miz bails, as Corey just goes on an endless rant about how much he hates Pat. Miz decides to walk out, but gets in the face of George Kittle (some San Francisco football player) in the process, and gets beat up. That allows Pat to dive with a flying somersault senton on the floor, and a punt finishes on the way back in at 3:35. ½*

Main Event: WWE Undisputed Tag Team Title Match: The Usos v Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn: 18 minutes between bells. I’m supremely disappointed that Owens doesn’t have a WrestleMania VII themed shirt this year. Jey Uso and Sami start, and the Usos quickly get control of Zayn on the outside, and double team. The champs work Sami over, but Zayn gets away from a combo, and tags. Owens comes in with a dive on both champions, and a flying frogsplash on Jey gets two. Jawbreaker, but Jey blocks, and delivers a neckbreaker for two. Jimmy Uso tries a charge, but misses, allowing Owens a pair of superkicks to set up a cannonball. Flying somersault senton splash gets two, and Zayn adds a flying splash for two. Blue Thunder Bomb, but Jimmy blocks, and Jey catches a tag. Jey comes in with a superkick, and adds a dropkick for two. The Usos go back to beating on Sami, and stereo superkicks get them two. Another round gets another two, so Owens comes in. He drags Jimmy to the outside for a powerbomb through an announce table, but Jey saves, and the champs tandem chokeslam Owens through a table. They go back in to hit Sami with 1D for two, and they decide to give Sami his own finisher, but Zayn comes back by suplexing Jimmy into the buckles. Tag to a recovering Owens, and he runs wild on both champions. Jawbreaker on Jey gets two, but the Usos come back with superkicks, and the stereo flying splashes get two. More superkicks, but Owens fights off a superplex from Jey with a muscle buster off the top. Tag to Zayn, and Jey eats a Helluva Kick. And another two for good measure, and we have new champions at 24:14. This was the right match to close the show on, with a big, satisfying, feel good moment. ** ½ 

Night Two

Opening Match: Brock Lesnar v Omos: 12 minutes before the opening bell. It’s so odd seeing Brock look that tiny next to anyone. Omos uses his size to power Lesnar around, and he holds a bearhug to try and coax a submission out of the battered Beast. Omos lets off to deliver a bodyslam, and it’s back to the bearhug again. Brock escapes, so Omos tries a charge, but misses. That allows Brock a trio of German suplexes, but his back gives out when he goes for the F5. That allows Omos to try for a chokeslam, but Brock counters to the F5 - muscling through it at 4:54. Good way to open the show as this was peppy and broad. ½*

Fatal Four-Way Match: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez v Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler v Natalya and Shotzi v Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green: 7 minutes between bells. Liv and Sonya start, and Liv dodges a charge into a lungblower. She looks for a follow up but gets kicks, so Sonya dives off the middle, but eats a codebreaker. None of that looked good. Natalya tags in to hit Liv with a seated dropkick, and Morgan uses a rana ahead of a tag to Rodriguez. She and Liv hit Natalya with a few combos, but Nattie counters a powerbomb with a rana. Rodriguez responds with a big boot, so Natalya just passes to Green instead of dealing with her bullshit. Green tries a missile dropkick, but Rodriguez ignores it, so Sonya dives in for a double team. That works, but Shotzi tags herself in to hit Green with a straddling ropechoke for two. We get a dogpile sequence on the outside next, and Rodriguez keeps wrecking everyone with ease. A double team from Sonya and Chelsea puts a stop to that, but they spend too long gloating, and get clobbered by Natalya and Shotzi. Nattie puts them into a double Sharpshooter, but Morgan dives off the middle to break the hold up. Where are Ronda and Shayna? Have either of them even made contact yet? Liv misses an enzuigiri on Shotzi, allowing Shotzi a suplex, but a roundhouse kick misses, allowing Liv a codebreaker. Cover, but Ronda tags herself in, so Liv is no longer legal. That allows Ronda to waltz in and put Shotzi in a cross-armbreaker for the submission at 8:18. This was mostly okay for what it was, but Ronda and Shayna basically did five seconds of work each, and Morgan’s work was so sloppy that it nearly tanked the match. And I’m generally a fan of Liv’s, maybe nerves got to her. ¾*

WWE Intercontinental Title Triple Threat Match: Gunther v Drew McIntyre v Sheamus: Titus is back on guest commentary for this one, and we have 14 minutes between bells. Gunther encourages them to fight each other, which Drew responds to by dropkicking the champion. Drew and Sheamus then do fight it out, wasting no time in starting to throw bombs at each other. Gunther comes in with a sleeper on Sheamus, but Sheamus quickly escapes, so Gunther just pounds him down instead. Gunther gets him in a Boston crab, so Drew rushes in with a big boot to save… only for Gunther to ignore it, and keep the hold locked! Drew punches him to try again, but Gunther ignores it again, before deciding to release the hold just so he can beat the shit out of McIntyre. They get into a brutal chopfest, won by Drew, and Sheamus comes in for a three-way slugfest. Gunther gets the better of it, but all three are battered now, so Sheamus gets Drew to gang up with him, and they decimate the poor champion on the ropes. They seem to be in a contest to see who can take the hardest legit hits. With Gunther down and out for a bit, Sheamus gets Drew on the ropes and unloads on him, but Gunther saves McIntyre from the crucifix powerbomb. Gunther with a lariat on Sheamus for two, but Drew dives in before he can follow up, and he takes Gunther out with a neckbreaker. Double-arm DDT follows, but Gunther ducks the Claymore kick, and running dropkicks Drew ahead of a powerbomb for two. Gunther goes upstairs, but Sheamus cuts him off with chops, and brings him off the middle with a Samoan drop. Crucifix powerbomb gets him two from there, and the Texas cloverleaf looks for the submission, but Drew runs in with a sleeper before Sheamus can coax a submission. Sheamus escapes and blasts him with a knee, then gives one to a recovering Gunther. Brogue kick looks to put it away, but Drew breaks the count at two. That leads to them slugging it out on the outside, and Drew gets the better of it, allowing him a dive out there. Drew rolls him in for the Claymore, but Sheamus counters with a Brogue for two! That was a great dramatic nearfall, and the crowd is hanging on their every move here. Both guys stagger up to trade shots, and McIntyre manages the Claymore for two. Another slugfest ends in a Brogue, but Gunther dives in to break the count at two. That allows the champion to powerbomb them both, and he pins Drew at 16:35. This was a fun war of a match, and the crowd was crazy hot for it all, but it felt like three guys hell bent on hitting each other as hard as they could. And that’s a valid style, but it lacks the nuance and skill that I dig about the art of professional wrestling. ***

WWE RAW Women's Title Match: Bianca Belair v Asuka: 10 minutes between bells. Belair comes at her with a pair of dropkicks right away, and she corners her challenger for a ten-punch count. Suplex follows, but Asuka blocks a second one, and a reversal sequence ends in Asuka delivering a series of strikes. Shining wizard gets the challenger two, and they kind of a dick around for a bit until Belair powerbombs her for two. Belair with a handspring moonsault, but Asuka catches her in a triangle choke, but Belair blocks. Asuka shifts to the crossface chickenwing instead, but Belair gets out of the ring to save herself. Asuka follows for a fujiwara armbar on the floor, but Belair blocks, and sitout powerbombs her challenger on the floor! Inside, that gets Bianca a two count, but a charge misses, and Asuka schoolboys for two. Asuka goes to work, but an attempt to suplex the challenger out of the ring goes south. Belair with a deadlift vertical superplex for two, and they trade cradles, ending in Asuka roundhouse kicking her for two. Belair with a victory cradle for two, so Asuka tries a codebreaker, but Belair blocks. That allows Belair a somersault neckbreaker to set up a handspring moonsault for two, but Asuka fights back with a codebreaker for two. Asuka with a hip attack in the corner, but Bianca catches her, and drops her into the buckles. KOD, but Asuka blocks. Mist, but Belair ducks. Asuka tries a spinning backfist in desperation, but Belair counters to the KOD - only for Asuka to counter to a cross-armbreaker. Belair powers to her feet in the hold, however, and turns it into a KOD at 15:57. I kind of drifted in and out on this one, but it was solid, even if kind of forgettable with everything else going on on this show. **

Miz v Shane McMahon: 9 minutes between bells. This is another impromptu match, as Miz complains to Snoop about the McAfee match from the night before, when Shane shows up to give us this. Shane with a series of jabs to start, but a criss cross goes badly when Shane legitimately tears his quad less than a minute into the bout. So, he gets carried out, and Snoop decides to take his place in the ring instead. How did they even communicate that change to each other in the middle of all this? Dogg with a pair of punches to set up the people’s elbow at 1:59. Okay then. DUD

Hell in a Cell Match: Finn Balor v Edge: 15 minutes between bells. I don’t really get how Edge going back to being ‘Brood Edge’ is supposed to be meaningful. That character was never really a big deal in its own time, and you can trace the path to Edge becoming a star around when he started abandoning the gimmick. They trade weapon shots almost right away (with color coded weapons, like purple kendo sticks for Finn, and red chairs for Edge), and Edge pins him in a corner of the cell with some sticks. That allows Edge to dive from the apron with a dropkick, but going for a table takes too long, and Balor gets free. Balor sends him into the steps, and a running dropkick drives Edge through a table. Finn starts throwing chairs at his head, but Edge blocks one with a boot, and he delivers a killswitch on the way back inside. Edge dominates him for a bit, and decides to bring a ladder into play, chucking it at Balor’s head to draw blood hardway. That looked unnecessarily brutal. Like, I get that it’s a high level gimmick match, but throwing a ladder at someone’s head at full speed just doesn’t seem like art. Much like in the Intercontinental title match, where’s the artistry of actually hurting each other? So the match slows to a crawl so medical attention can check on Balor, and Edge kills time by rearranging furniture. He’s like a 1950s housewife, riveting. Edge tries a spear, but Balor leapfrogs, and Edge runs into the ladder. That gets Finn two, and both guys pop up for a double knockout. Kind of weird that they have those massive screens over the ring, and all they’re doing with them is displaying the WrestleMania logo. I’m sure the kids in the nosebleeds really appreciate that. Balor recovers with a flying double stomp for two, but climbing the ladder for another dive ends badly when Edge DDTs him off for two. Edge sets up a table, but Finn nails him with a kendo stick before he can use it. Balor puts Edge on the table, and climbs up the side of the cell to dive with a flying double stomp, but Edge rolls out of the way. That allows Edge a spear for two, so he unloads with a kendo, then with a chair. Conchairto finishes at 18:08. A lot of this felt like backyard wrestling, where they seemed to be really into trying gimmick spots or jumping from high places, over telling a story. * ½ 

The Hall of Fame class of 2023 (Rey Mysterio, Stacy Keibler, Great Muta, the family of Tim White, the family of Andy Kaufman) come out to take a bow. Not the strongest class this year, but worthy. It feels like they’re running out of real stars, though

Main Event: WWE Title and WWE Universal Title Match: Roman Reigns v Cody Rhodes: Huge star entrances for both guys. 34 minutes between bells, which I think is the longest since I started keeping track back at WrestleMania 33. Posturing to start, and Reigns takes control, pounding Cody in the corner. Cody fires back with a dropkick for one, and he wisely grounds the champion in an armbar. He tries a springboard, but gets caught in a powerbomb, and Reigns vertical suplexes him for two. Reigns with another suplex, and he tosses Cody over the top, but Rhodes skins the cat. He pulls Reigns over the top, but tries going after him, and gets bumped into the apron for his trouble. Roman biels him onto the ramp next, and a bodyslam on the ramp follows. Again, but Rhodes reverses, so Solo Sikoa hits him with a chair, and Roman comes back with a Drive By for two. Reigns works a cravat, but Cody escapes, so Solo trips him up, and Roman delivers a clothesline for two. Reigns with a corner whip to rattle the ring, and he dumps Rhodes to the outside. Reigns preps an announce table, but a powerbomb through it gets countered with a backdrop, and the champion goes through the wood. Inside, Cody fights off a Reigns comeback attempt, and powerslams the champion. Springboard jawbreaker gets him two, so Reigns bails, but Cody is on him with a tope. Solo responds by nailing him with a weight belt, and the referee finally ejects him, but the damage is done. Roman grabs the weight belt to do his business, but Cody counters with CrossRhodes for two. Good nearfall there. Roman fires back with a clothesline, and he tries tossing Cody over the top, but Rhodes skins the cat again. His bad ribs slow him down, however, and Reigns delivers a uranage for two. Superman punch, but Cody counters him into a pedigree for two. Springboard, but Reigns is ready with a Superman for two. Spear, but Rhodes counters with a sunset flip for two, and sweeps Reigns into a figure four! Roman reverses, but Rhodes is in the ropes, and the challenger wins a slugfest. He dives off the top, but Reigns dodges, and delivers a spear for two. A frustrated Reigns unloads mounted punches, and he looks to finish with a front-facelock, but Cody fights. Reigns responds by turning it into a guillotine choke, but Rhodes escapes! He comes out swinging with mounted punches, but Reigns dodges a bicycle kick, and the referee eats it. Reigns is ready with a Superman, but Rhodes rebounds with another kick, and everyone is left looking up at the lights. CrossRhodes, but the Usos show up, and superkick him. With the referee still out, they add a 1D, so Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn run out to make the save! Owens hits Reigns with a jawbreaker and Sami adds a Helluva kick to even the odds before the Usos recover, and brawl into the crowd with the tag champs. Cody crawls over for the cover, and the recovering official counts a dramatic two! They stagger up for a slugfest, and Reigns tries the Superman to win it, but Cody blocks. Cody with a flip flop fly, and a three-alarm rolling CrossRhodes looks to finish, but Solo pops in with a cheap shot to block the third one. That allows Reigns a spear, and the champion retains at 34:28. This was a really good match with ridiculously bad booking. Like, the whole story was building to the Bloodline doing all their usual tricks, but get thwarted this time… only to then beat Rhodes with the same Honky Tonk Man tricks they’ve been pulling for years. This felt like the moment to pull the trigger and change the belts, and perhaps they made a last minute change due to the merger or something, but either way it did not come across well. *** ¾ 

BUExperience: This was decent for the most part, but felt a little light on spectacle and pageantry for such a long show (and it was long, clocking in at approximately 7 hours and 18 minutes, which makes it the second longest WrestleMania of all time), and then it ended on a really sour note on top of things. It also had a lot of downtime (approximately 204 minutes between bells, though that’s still better than 2022’s mind numbing 262 minutes).

In a vacuum, I’d call it an improvement over the last two WrestleMania’s, but considering expectations and fan engagement for this one were the highest levels they’ve been in years, it can’t help but feeling like a disappointment.

*