WrestleMania 35 Results and Review

WrestleMania 35 is in the history books. For the first time in years we actually cap off what was a satisfying Mania!

Because of this I decided to post my review earlier than usual. We're going to take a look at every match on the card from beginning to end, with every moment/segment in between as well!

I'm not gonna make introduction any longer, without further ado let's just get straight to the action!

Pre-Show Matches

I don't have much to say regarding the pre-show, so I'll just summarize my thoughts in a couple of sentences.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Tony Nese def. Buddy Murphy
My pick was Tony Nese so right off the bat got that right! It was your standard match you'll probably see on 205. Nothing out of the ordinary but decent enough to kick things off.

Carmella Wins Women's Battle Royal
My pick was Asuka, she almost made it but eventually got eliminated by Sarah Logan whom we all thought was the winner but nope, gotta have the stupid cliche of "they're not actually eliminated yet, attack from behind" with Carmella. Ugh, this match has no hope whatsoever!

RAW Tag-Team Championships: Major Bros. def. The Revival
The boys have done it! Michael Cole said it best "The streak is over." Shoutout to Dash Wilder by the way for clocking in good on Bret's attempted attacker. Hope we never see an incident of similar nature again. But yeah, congrats Hawkins and Ryder! Edge would be proud!

Braun Strowman Wins Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
I'm just glad it's not those "comedians" who won it. But the optimism of Braun going somewhere with this victory is pretty much dead. It's pretty sad when you think all of Braun's accomplishments so far in WWE have been meaningless. Will that ever change?

Match #1 - WWE Universal Championship:
Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar

Yes folks, Brock Lesnar is actually in the opening match of WrestleMania! Isn't that crazy? After the Hogan and Bliss opening segment, Paul Heyman entered out of nowhere and said that if Brock isn't the main event, then might as well get it over with in the beginning of the event. Realistically, Brock just probably wanna go home hunting. Who knows?

Anyway after some formal introductions as he goes, entrances galore and before Seth could even enter the ring he was attacked by Lesnar. The bulk of this "fight" is not even an official match as the bell wasn't rang due to Brock's continuous attack on the outside, even throwing Seth to the announce tables, which would set up the theme for the rest of the night.

Finally though they managed to get back in the ring, I really thought that was it. Maybe a small comeback for Seth and then Brock ends up squashing him anyway? But it was actually the other way around! After three Curb Stomps and Brock's kryptonite: a low blow, it spelled finish to his Universal Championship reign! Hopefully the curse of the belt ends here and Seth may reign as champion for a long time! Until Roman wins it down the line of course but I digress.

This match was polarizing. Some liked it, while some hated it. I actually did not mind it all. I thought it was the perfect way to start off the show, definitely lets you know that the babyfaces, for the most part, will overcome the odds as the rest of the night continues! Seth winning and celebrating with the belt got the crowd pumped and thus serving its purpose.

Prediction: Seth Rollins (Correct)

Match #2 - Singles Match:
AJ Styles def. Randy Orton

If you're expecting barn burners similar to his NJPW matches from AJ Styles at this point of his career, dare I say do not anymore. But with that out of the way, I thought this was a pretty solid match. It started at a slow pace, but quickly picked up and got real tense by the end!

False finishes are a common occurrence nowadays in wrestling, but it actually got me good on this one! When Randy hits the RKO on AJ, I thought that was the end, the kick out really surprised me and I found myself being happy when AJ eventually pinned Orton! I felt this one was definitely better than Roman vs. McIntyre, which we will get into later.

Prediction: AJ Styles (Correct)

Match #3 - SD Tag-Team Championships:
The Usos Win

Surprisingly this match was actually pretty good! All 4 teams managed to get their stuff in, but the ones that really shined throughout the match and rightfully so were Aleister Black and Ricochet! They even got their separate entrances, hopefully it is a sign of the company taking them seriously! One can hope right?

It's a testament to them as well as just two nights ago, they had one of the best matches on the card at TakeOver: New York against War Raiders for the NXT Tag Titles! Ricochet and Cesaro's interactions in particular were a thing of beauty, a reminiscent of their good ol' days in PWG.

Going into this match, I honestly expected a clusterfuck but it turned out to be an organize match and they were given proper time to really showoff their skills unlike last year. The Usos finally got to win their defending belts at Mania and all is well in the world! P.S. Heard Hiroshi Tanahashi was in the crowd as well, possibly to cheer on his old pal Nakamura.

Prediction: The Usos (Correct)

Match #4 - Falls Count Anywhere:
Shane McMahon def. The Miz

A millionaire celebrity beats up another millionaire who happens to be the son of a billionaire and a Government official. I think that summarizes this match well!

Kidding aside though, is there even any proper words to describe this bout? Like holy shit, what did we just witness?! Shane and Miz overdelivered with our expectations! I find it refreshing to see a "personal" feud not be contested in a usual lock up wrestling match, but rather an all out brawl!

Both men took the "falls count anywhere" stipulation to another level! Well at least from a WWE stand point, because DDT Wrestling is even crazier with theirs. Thank the wrestling Gods Shane turned out to be in "okay shape" despite all the crazy bumps he took! For a man who is pretty much set for life with all his money, his definition of "leisure time" is drastically different to that of other rich people.

But they're not even the MVP of this match in my opinion! MR. MIZ is now a living legend! Or maybe more of a living meme? The man stole the whole match and I'm not complaining, cannot put a father trying to protect his son to shame! In fact he should be in the Hall of Fame for such bravery!

The ending to this match was another polarizing result, but I found it to be genius! Shane may have won the battle, but both men were exhausted by the end and he only is victorious by technicality. So this feud may be far from over and you know, with what they showcased here, I ain't even mad! Might get me to start watching weekly again, emphasis on the MIGHT though.

Prediction: The Miz (Wrong)

Match #5 - WWE Women's Tag-Team Championships:
The IIconics Win

After being presented to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019, we get to the second four corners tag match of the night with the WWE Women's Tag-Team Championships.

This one is the opposite of the men's variation, really did not enjoy it that much. It's not the worst match of the night though, but could have gone better.

Sasha and Bayley carried the bulk of this match, being the workhorses that they are. Gotta give props to Beth Phoenix though, she hasn't lost a step and could return full time if she wants too! Still looks great out there.

A shocker it could be considered, with Beth hitting the Glam Slam on Bayley off the top rope, but Billie Kay sneaked in a tag to Beth and took the opportunity to get rid of the HOF'er, and pin Bayley for the win.

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty disappointed of the result. I like Billie and Peyton, but Sasha and Bayley were far more deserving of the victory and they should have been more established as the inaugural Women's Tag Champs, with this lineage at least. Hoping we don't get another "rivalry" between Sasha and Bayley, that's kind of overdone by this point.

Prediction: Boss N' Hug Connection (Wrong)

Match #6 - WWE Championship:
Kofi Kingston def. Daniel Bryan

Before this match, I tweeted out that the legacies of Bearcat Wright, Bobo Brazil, Ron Simmons, Booker T, Mark Henry, and among many others were all leading up to this point. It is up to Kofi Kingston to give them justice and yes, justice was served!

From start to finish, my eyes were glued into this match. We all know Daniel Bryan is already, one of, if not the greatest wrestler of this generation. But man, Kofi Kingston really shined and its fitting to for it is his first singles title match at Mania! A lot of history in one match and it all culminated well.

Other members of The New Day; Xavier Woods and Big E, as well as D-Bry's henchman Rowan did their parts well, nothing over the top in terms of interferences. The match was smooth, it had me at the edge of my seat, with each signature maneuver and finisher being hit and pin attempts really made me grasp for hope.

Finally though after 11 years of toiling around the WWE, he has done it. After hitting his opponent with the Trouble in Paradise, Kofi Kingston is the WWE Champion! I am happy, Kofi himself is happy, the entire world is happy! Ironically enough, this is the most emotional World Title win since Daniel Bryan in Mania 30, oh my how the tides have changed!

Congratulations Kofi. No exaggeration here, this match gave me an emotional connection like no other since The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak coming to an end. That's how great this moment is. Simply amazing.

Prediction: Kofi Kingston (Correct)

Match #7 - WWE US Championship:
Samoa Joe def. Rey Mysterio

​Welp. The entrances were longer than the match itself. Joe choked out Rey after receiving a 619. Guess Rey is not fully healed yet by the looks of things so get well soon.

Match was only under a minute, although I feel Kane vs. Chavo at Mania 24 at 11 seconds will be an unbreakable record!

Match #8 - Singles Match:
​Roman Reigns def. Drew McIntyre

Roman Reigns is back and so does the hate train apparently! It was only a matter of time and this one was nothing but a buffer match. It's your typical Roman match in case you forgot how those happen.

Drew (the heel in this scenario) takes over almost all of the opening minutes, having the "underdog" feel to Roman which just does not work as if it wasn't established already, then as we get to the concluding parts, The Big Dog emerges and defeats his opponent. Rinse and repeat.

I was surprised to find out this was only a 10 minute match, but it felt like 20 minutes with the pace they were going. I'm glad Roman got back from such a horrendous disease, but it looks like horrendous booking is only on its way back and will never be escaped! I understand the win though, he needs it, definitely will inspire a lot of kids and other people suffering the same fate he had, but the match itself was bland and felt like your usual RAW match.

This is why I liked the Styles vs. Orton match better, yes it could theoretically be seen as your typical TV match but they managed to pick up the pace and drama by the end especially with the false finishes. This one just felt like a chore to watch, far from the worse, but boring would be the appropriate word to describe it.

Prediction: Roman Reigns (Correct)

The Dr. of Thuganomics Returns

​Seems like it is a yearly tradition at Mania now to have an Evening with Elias segment, not that I mind, it's certainly better than a Pitbull or Flo Rida concert! But you know what's even better? The return of the Doctor of Thuganomics! Like seriously, where did that come from?

Cena just likes doing whatever he wants nowadays. Mania 33 he proposed to his hot girlfriend whom he now ditched, then at Mania 34 did his thing with The Undertaker which was odd but it is whatever, then now at Mania 35 he laid a verbal beating on poor Elias!

Just like Beth Phoenix, Cena hasn't lost a step! But this time in his rap game, cause boy Elias sure got buried with those verbal assaults! It's all fun and good though because Elias is a character that can take such beatdowns. He isn't exactly World Champion material, but with what happened to Kofi now, who knows maybe 11 years later he'll have his moment as well and this is the roots of all that? Okay that might be a stretch.

The heel turn we've been all waiting! It was worth it! Cena you're a legend!

Match #9 - No Holds Barred:
Triple H def. Batista

Two Words: Nose Ring. That's really the only thing that stuck in my memory in regards to this match! It's a brawl between two beefy dudes, so if you're expecting a technical masterpiece or highflying showcase, then watch somewhere else!

As expected this match took a lot of time, Triple H's entrance alone with his fancy and over the top vehicles should have given us all a clue. 24 minutes of non stop brawling but Shane and Miz did it better. Like really, the only difference is that the match earlier could have a pinfall anywhere in the arena! Only this time, Batista and Triple H did not have the greatness of Mr. Miz gaze upon their match. Naitch was there though which was cool, gave HHH the extra sledgehammer.

To backtrack, yes the thing that stood out to me was the nose ring spot when Triple H took a pair of scissors and "removed" it from Batista. Although I was disappointed like a little kid again to find out it was fake and Batista had to remove it himself, plus there was no blood. Yeah if there is one big critic I have of this match, it could've used some blood knowing how "personal" it's supposed to be between these two.

In the end, a sledgehammer to the face and Pedigree concluded not Triple H's wrestling career, but Batista's! Dave announced on Twitter that he is retiring from the wrestling business. As a young Filipino kid back then who got hooked to wrestling thanks to his fellow country man and The Undertaker, I'm forever grateful to Batista. But let's not kid ourselves, he'll be back sooner! There is no such thing as a permanent retirement in wrestling. Terry Funk has thought us that lesson years ago.

Prediction: Triple H (Correct)

Match #10 - Farewell Match:
Baron Corbin def. Kurt Angle

Speaking of retirements, we get to the next match which is Kurt Angle's farewell against Baron Corbin. Kind of a letdown. I expected something to happen, but it's just straight up a match between the two. Maybe John Cena returning and all that stuff but no.

I respect Kurt with what he's done for the wrestling business, don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of his, but that is exactly why this one saddens me. For two decades Kurt gave us some of the most memorable moments and matches in wrestling history! To end his career in such an underwhelming fashion is an offense.

The match itself was what you expect from Corbin and an out of his prime Kurt Angle, he did do the moonsault press one last time by the end but missed. Jeez, his knees aren't thanking him after that one, but it did have the same impact I felt when watching Keiji Mutoh (Great Muta) delivering his final moonsault as well, although his did connect.

Corbin ended Angle's career. That's it. It's over for Kurt. We hear the crowd chant "You Suck!" for the last time but as that famous fan sign said "You Never Sucked." So still, despite the disappointing end and all he's been through in his life, Thank You Kurt Angle for the years of entertainment. Truly personified Integrity, Intensity, and Intelligence.

Prediction: Kurt Angle (Wrong)

Match #11 - WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Finn Balor def. Bobby Lashley

The Demon finally makes his WrestleMania debut! Sick entrance! That's about it though. Bobby Lashley had contact lens too, which made him look funny than intimidating. Also I just wanna point out it wasn't that long ago when I just watched Lio Rush online compete for a small indie company: House of Glory ran by the recently retired Amazing Red, now he's in Mania!

Anyway the match was similar to Roman vs. Drew, pretty much your average TV bout. Balor rarely does anything new as The Demon, just the face paint and he seems to be showing off his tongue a lot more than usual. Kind of underwhelming really, especially only at 4 minutes of action. These two could've delivered more but it was the breather match before the main event.

With the Greatest IC Champion being inducted into the HOF this year, how I wish the title itself was given some respect but both secondary belts were pretty much non-existent at this year's Mania. Oh well.

Prediction: Finn Balor (Correct)

Match #12 - RAW & SD Women's Championships:
Becky Lynch def. Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair

Here we are, last but not the least, the most hyped up for a WrestleMania main event I've been since 30, and well it was something. It is the perfect definition of what some would call a "mix bag." Let's get to the good, the bad, and the ugly shall we?

Well the good; Joan Jett sang Ronda Rousey's entrance live. Always been a fan of her and The Blackhearts, rock and roll legends! A lot of cool spots and there were some moments where you feel "damn that sure looked like it hurt or felt real" and it probably did. Especially with Ronda's bruises on her leg and Charlotte bleeding from the elbow. All three women shined pretty well and showcased their skillset.

The bad. There's plenty sadly. First is the crowd, I have to mention it at some point but this is the biggest con of a long Mania, by the time we get to the main event everyone is tired with all the action they've consumed, even me who's just watching at home kinda felt that too and it sucks because this is the main event and a historic one at that but the people are dead or had barely any reactions for the most part.

Another point I'd like to make is that, while there were some cool spots and all, the flow of the match felt a little disorganized in a way? Definitely not the smoothest main event in Mania. The girls could've learned a thing or two from Bret Hart or HBK's learning trees on how to execute such.

Now for the ugly, the finish. Yes, I hated it too, even though at spur of the moment when I heard the bell rang and Becky was victorious, with me jumping up like a crazy little kid again, re-watching it again, the odd finish did kind of take away from the moment. It was questionable whether Ronda's shoulders were truly down on the mat and that's not even the main issue I had with it, THIS is the first time women are main eventing Mania with possibly three of the greatest women's wrestlers on your roster and THAT is how you end it? Whether intentional or not.

Kind of symbolic for this whole women's revolution thing though. It has a lot of good but some bad as well. At the end of the night, the conclusion to this entire Mania could never be changed. After years of being deemed the underdog, Becky Lynch hoists up both the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships. Marking a happy ending to this year's Mania, which felt like years before we've genuinely experienced one!

Prediction: Ronda Rousey (Wrong)

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​Before I end this, I would just like to give props to the commentary team especially to Michael Cole who nearly lost his voice by the end there and Corey Graves for commentating in EVERY match on the card! Whether you're a fan of them or not, you cannot disrespect the dedication they had for this event.

Going into this, what I felt like was just nothing but a fantasy dream of seeing Rollins, Kofi, and Becky all as champions by the end of the night will never happen, but I'm glad to be wrong. Not all the time but when WWE does listen to its fans, you get golden moments like these that would live forever in our minds.

Overall, what a great weekend it has been as a fan of professional wrestling. I've watched a lot of wrestling events at the comfort of my home the past three days from GCW's Bloodsport headlined by Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Barnett to IMPACT Wrestling's United We Stand seeing the dream tag match of RVD & Sabu vs. Lucha Bros. DDT is Coming to America was a fun experience and felt like an organic DDT show with all the craziness and in-ring prowess! Then the G1 Supercard, seeing Kazuchika Okada become IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Madison Square Garden is nothing short of satisfying and greatness!

To cap it all off with a lot of deserving victories at WrestleMania, made this the greatest WrestleMania weekend in history. Hopefully you all enjoyed as much as I did and damn does it feel good to be a pro wrestling fan again! I'm glad I was able to have this platform and share with you all my thoughts and love for this business as a long time fan.

As always, Thanks For Reading.
All images used are from WWE.com

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