By Eric "Big E" Jacinto
Sorry this is late but it's been a long week.
The WWE and the Pro Wrestling world loss another member of the family on Tuesday night as former
WWE Intercontinental, WWE Champion and recently WWE Hall of Fame inductee, The Ultimate Warrior died at the age of 54. This comes as a shock to the wrestling world, as it was less then 24 hours since he had appeared on Monday Night Raw and just a few days after he was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame. R.I.P., The Ultimate Warrior. You will not soon be forgotten!
Big E's WrestleMania 30 Review.
(C) Champion
Live, from New Orleans, in the Louisiana- Mercedes Benz Super-Dome!
Pre-Show Match: WWE Tag Team Championship, Elimination Match. The Usos (C) vs The Real Americans (Jack Swagger & Cesaro) vs Los Matadores (Diego & Fernando) vs Rybaxel (Ryback & Curtis Axel).
The Los Matadores were eliminated first via submission, as Swagger applied the
Patriot Lock and one of the Matadores tapped out. Rybaxel were eliminated next as Cesaro hit the
Neutralizer on Ryback and got the cover to eliminate them. The Usos did a double splash on Cesaro from separate corners and coved for the win. This match took 16 minutes.
Winners: The Usos retained their titles, via pin.
Big E's Match Rating: 1.5/5.
Big E's Match Viewpoint:
This was just an okay match for a pre show. As I noted in my predictions, I wish it included Cody Rhodes and Goldust instead of the Los Matadores. Nothing against the Matadores, but they didn't earn their shot at tag-team title shot, especially at
WrestleMania.
Match #1: (Winner gets added to the
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Main Event match against Randy Orton and Batista); Daniel Bryan vs Triple H.
The match want back-and-forth with Bryan hitting a
running knee to defeat Triple H, and won the right to move on the the Main Event.
Winner: Daniel Bryan via pin.
Big E's Match Rating: 4/5
Big E's Match Viewpoint:
This was an amazing match with so many momentum swings, and had me on the edge of my seat. Bryan and Triple H really told a good story in the ring.
Post Match: Triple H attacked Bryan from behind and injured Bryan's shoulder even more. More to come.
Match #2: The Shield (Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns) vs The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg) and Kane.
This match ended very quickly in under three minutes. The Shield did a
triple power bomb on both Billy Gunn and Road Dogg and then Seth Rollins coved for the win.
Winners: The Shield via pin.
Big E's Match Rating: 1/5
Big E's Match Viewpoint:
I didn't even see much of the match, and I only saw the
triple power bomb.
Match #3: The Andre Memorial/30 Man Battle Royal:
This match lasted little over 13 minutes. Cesaro picked up The Big Show and slammed him over the top rope for the win.
Winner: Cesaro eliminated The Big Show.
Big E's Match Rating: 1/5
Big E's Match Viewpont:
It was a Battle Royal; nothing special. The highlight of the match was Kofi Kingston being thrown out of the ring. His feet didn't touch the floor, though, as he landed his feet on the steel steps; but within a few minutes, he was eliminated. The defining moment of this match occurred when Cesaro picked up the Big Show and slammed him over the top for the win. Amazing.
Match #4: John Cena vs Bray Wyatt.
This match want back-and-forth. Bray attempted to hit Sister Abigail, but Cena blocked it and hit him with an
Attitude Adjustment at about 23 minutes, for the victory.
Winner: John Cena via pin.
Big E's Match Rating: 3.25/5
Big E's Match Viewpoint:
This was an all-around solid match. The fans made it even better with all of their chants.
Match #5: Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman.
The Undertaker hit the Tombstone but Lesnar kicked out. Taker attempted another one, but Lesnar countered with the
F5 and coved for the 1-2-3 in 25 minutes. Yes, fans, Brock Lesnar did indeed end the Undertaker's undefeated
WrestleMania streak. Wow.
Winner: Brock Lesnar via pin.
Big E's Match Rating: 2.75/5
The Ending of the Lesnar/Undertaker Match:
Big E's Match Viewpoint:
The match build-up wasn't great, and heading into the match most fans--including myself--didn't think that Lesnar had a chance in hell to win. My initial reaction was, "What the F just happened?" But the crowd reaction at the Super-Dome was priceless: complete silence enveloped the dome. The look on most fans' faces was great--some were pissed off, some were crying, but there were a few that were clapping.
Match #6: Vickie Guerrero's
Divas Championship Invitational. AJ Lee (C) vs Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie & Nikki Bella, Cameron, Emma, Eva Marie, Layla, Naomi, Natalya, Rose Meades, Summer Rae and Tamina Snuka (One Pin fall match).
The match lasted just under 7 minutes. Lee applied the
Black Widow on Naomi, who tapped out. Lee remaines the
WWE Divas Champion.
Winner: AJ Lee via submission.
Big E's Match Rating: NR
Big E's Match Viewpoint:
Nothing to say here. I wasn't even paying attention to the match, to be honest. That's why I gave it a non rating. It was a joke of a match; the crowd wasn't into it, as they were still shocked from loss of the Undertaker to Brock Lesnar a few minutes earlier.
Main Event, Match #7: Triple Threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Daniel Bryan vs Batista vs Randy Orton (C).
During the match, Bryan was taken off on a stretcher after Orton and Batista did a
Batista Bomb, which turned into an
RKO though the announcers' table, Bryan hit a
flying knee on Orton, but Batista threw him outside the ring and he covered Orton, but he kicked out just before the three count. Batista then hit the
Batista Bomb on Orton, and out of nowhere Bryan hit Batista. with a knew. Bryan then locked in the
Yes Lock, forcing Batista to tap out.
Winner: Daniel Bryan, via submission, to become the new
WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Big E's Match Rating: 3.75/5
The Ending of the Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship:
Big E's Match Virwpoint:
This was my favorite match of the night. Bryan had to overcome a lot in this match from Triple H, Stephanie, and former referee Scott Armstrong trying to screw him over, to his getting put through the announcers' table, and then getting taken off out of the ring on a stretcher. It was an amazing moment. The entire crowd chanted "YES YES YES" for Bryan. At one point, Bryan got up on the announcers' table and held up the belts as a barrage of fireworks want off in the background, as only the
WWE can do.
Big E's Final WrestleMania 30 Thoughts:
This was by far the best
WrestleMania since I got back into watching wrestling in 2007, and the best since
WrestleMania20. Even though there were only three or four worthy matches, it was still a great
WrestleMania and something I highly recommend to any wrestling fan (new or veteran) that hasn't watched it yet.
The opening segment with Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock was an epic moment, not just in
Mania history but in pro wrestling history. First, Hogan come out cut his promo and called the place the the "Silver-dome" instead if the Super-dome which was funny. The crowd just ate it up, and booed lustily every time he said it. Then Austin came out--which is an epic moment in itself--as Austin and Hogan were in the same ring for the first time ever. The crowd loved it, I loved. I'll admit, I had goosebumps just watching those two go back and forth. The Rock's appearance was just icing on the cake. This was the most epic moment in history of pro wrestling; it was a real treat for even the most casual of wrestling fans.
Big E's Stars of the Night:
Five Stars*****. Daniel Bryan without a question is the five-star wrestler of the night. He was in two of the best matches of the night, and both could be considered as Match of the Year candidates. Everything he had to overcome throughout the night elevated him to this superstar status.
Four Stars****. Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. It was a great segment between the three. Enough said there. Also the fans were tremendous throughout the entire evening.
Three Stars***. Brock Lesnar, for ending the Undertaker's
WrestleMania undefeated streak. Special mention goes to Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista for having solid matches with Bryan. John Cena and Bray Wyatt deserve a mention too for putting on a good solid fan match.
Two Stars**. The Vickie Guerrero
Divas Championship Invitational. The crowd wasn't into the match at all. It wasn't the Divas themselves, it was just that nobody really cared for the match, which is a shame.
One Star*. No match or aspect of the event deserved one star. There wasn't anything bad about the evening.
Big E's WrestleMania 30 Rating: 8.25/5 (!).
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