Wrestlemania 32 | Review, #FreeWrestlemania & WWE Network

I would in no way consider myself a ‘smark’ fan, rather just your regular fan who likes to really think about things. I am not one to openly reject a superstar or voice my ill-feelings to any sort of an audience, I’d like to consider myself a relatively easy going audience member who is simply there for the ride.

Having said that, I went into this year’s Wrestlemania with relatively low expectations. I mean how could WWE top Wrestlemania 31! It was superb, every match on the card had something about it.

Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt for example, Undertaker’s first appearance since losing to Brock Lesnar the previous year made it a spectacle.

Whereas this year, I looked at the card and not a lot excited me. After FastLane I found little interest in watching Wrestlemania, but Wrestlemania is the biggest stage in the industry and I thought “Wrestlemania is Wrestlemania” so I stuck around to watch, half expecting it to be a massive step down from the last two chronology. Bloody hell, I was wrong.

For this year’s Wrestlemania I decided to ‘do it properly’ and get myself the WWE Network as part of the WWE’s #FreeWrestlemania promotion. The poor quality of the stream nearly ruined some great moments for me (and I imagine a few others).

The Pre-Show

Kalisto vs Ryback — United States Championship

The one of the main reasons I felt the event was going to be a step down was due to the pre-show matches. Although any title match should be exciting and interesting (at the very least), Kalisto vs Ryback for the United States Championship simply was not engaging to me, the build-up seemed to revolve around the whole “big strong man vs small faster man”… which didn’t grab my attention or interest. Kalisto is superb and deserves more having his Wrestlemania moment in-front of a barely filled stadium, with adverts during the match. But Kalisto won, which is a good thing. So yay for Kalisto.

The awful quality of the WWE Network made this match less favourable to me however as the quality was abismal and the app kept closing. Something that hadn’t happened until that point. I guess they couldn’t handle that many people using the app at once.

Total Divas vs Team B.A.D. and Blonde

I am all for the divas revolution and women’s wrestling getting the credit it deserves. Brie Bella, Paige, Natalya, Alicia Fox and Eva Marie on one-side and Lana, Naomi, Tamina, Emma and Summer Rae on the other, the match was enjoyable. With Lana making her in ring debut and Brie finishing it with the Yes Lock, the match was a feel good moment. Although nothing spectacular, it marked the first time since Wrestlemania 22 that there were two women’s matches on the Wrestlemania card. With rumours that Brie Bella maybe retiring on following RAW, it was nice to potentially see her have one last feel-good victory and celebration with her injured sister.

Plus everyone seemed to hate Eva Marie, which was entertaining.

The Usos vs The Dudley Boyz

At this point in the kick-off show, the WWE Network and all the promise of #FreeWrestlemania decided that I had enjoyed it too much. With constant lagging and cutting out, I only saw fragments of this 5 minute match. But hey, Dudley Boyz at Wrestlemania again, that’s pretty cool. Plus The Usos putting both tag-team pioneers through the table was a lovely moment in itself. I’ll re-watch this at some point soon.

Screw you WWE Network, screw you.

Main Card

At this point, the ‘Wrestlemania feeling’ snuck up on me and despite my worry that it would not live up to what I was hoping, the excitment started.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

By this time, the WWE Network decided that I deserved to watch the main show… for which I am extremely thankful.

First of all, ladder matches are entertaining. So very entertaining! After an amazing ladder match last year for the same prize, it looked like WWE were trying to recreate last year’s extravaganza. They did it so well.

Kevin Owens is a great wrestler, fun to watch and is as entertaining as… something that is very entertaining. It looked like Zack Ryder was added to the match to replace the injured Neville. He only went to win the bloody thing! The ladder match was awesome, Sin Cara was in his element with two spectacular dives…/falls and Sami Zayn genuinely looked like he was going to take home his first Intercontinental Championship.

After the amazing match he had at NXT Takeover: Dallas with Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn really had the WWE universe behind him to win. The moments he shared with Kevin Owens were epic (that frog splash, wow) and the all the crowd loved the re-igniting of their rivarly in NXT last year.

The Miz arrogantly taking his time to remove the belt only to be knocked off by Zack Ryder was a hell of a good moment. Zack Ryder finally getting that moment he’s been waiting for for a few years, on the grandest stage of them all.

Zack Bloody Ryder.

Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles

When AJ Styles appeared at the Royal Rumble, although it was somewhat expected, everyone (myself included) lost their mind. AJ Styles was in the WWE. Finally.

After defeating Chris Jericho on RAW the next night and at FastLane, I was a little disappointed to see that they would be going at it again at Wrestlemania. Don’t get me wrong, their matches were great but there wasn’t anything more added, just what we had seen a few times before. BUT… The match was a classic, both men were phenomenal (get it?) and it was a very good match in general. Hopefully though, both men will move onto different things in the future.

The League of Nations vs The New Day

The New Day are fantastic. The New Day are just wonderful. The New Day are the best thing in WWE. The New Day make their enterance from a giant box of Booty-Os. The New Day dress like Super Saiyans. The New Day are great. The New Day at Wrestlemania has enriched my life thoroughly.

The New Day… lost. Excuse me.

They lost? Really? Well shit.

After a long while of seeing Kofi Kingston and Big E do all the ring work, it was nice to see Xavier Woods get some ring time (with hair from Planet Vegeta). Seeing them lose to the League of Booty was just sad. But it set up the first of many AMAZING Wrestlemania moments.

Wade Barrett goes onto the mic to say no team of three can every stand up to the League of Nations — At this point.. I know someone is coming, but I cannot figure who — and then…

Shawn Michaels… AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Mick Foley… AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Stone Cold Steve Austin… AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The three legends cleared the ring and then proceeded to dance with The New Day. Something everyone who has every watched a wrestling match needs to see.

It being Wrestlemania with Stone Cold Steve Austin there, with beer, in his home state… someone was getting Stone Cold Stunnered(…Stunned?… Who knows) and that unfortunate duty fell to UpUpDownDown’s very own Xavier Woods.

Ahhhhh Wrestlemania moments.

Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar — No Holds Barred Street Fight

Prior to the awesomeness of Wrestlemania hitting my veins, one of the few matches that I was excited to see was Lesnar vs Ambrose in a Street Fight. With Terry Funk and Mick Foley passing on the hardcore torch/barbed wire baseball bat/chainsaw onto the Lunatic Fringe, I was hoping to see a really badass encounter between two insane people.

Clocking in at 13 minutes, the bout felt like it ended before it really got going. With the only weapons being featured prominently were steel chairs and kendo sticks, the match felt like it was full of wasted potential. But anytime you get to see Brock Lesnar throw someone around like a puppet is a good day.

Hopefully Dean Ambrose is involved in something really awesome soon.

Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch — WWE Women’s Championship

The term Divas Revolution has been thrown around a lot in the last year, at some points that revolution felt a little dead or flat but Wrestlemania 32 was about to stage three of the best divas in years, possibly ever.

With Lita announcing the reactivation of the Women’s Championship, as oppose to the Divas Championship, that revolution felt very much alive. The title was regal and fitting that of a wrestling chapionship… and you know, not like a giant butterfly earring.

This match was one of the only matches I was genuinely looking forward to, the so-called toilet break match getting some real attention. All three competitors are excellent in the ring and have changed the perception of women’s wrestling in the WWE in the last year.

Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch challenging the current (and last) Divas Champion Charlotte for the crown of Women’s Champion. The match was great from the start. Going over 15 minutes that match delivered what everyone hoped it would. Ric Flair getting taken out by Becky Lynch, lots of submissions, a frog splash onto a Figure 4 and Ric Flair being just a nuisance in the finish. As much as I wanted Sasha Banks to walk away with the championship, the match was great to watch.

At this point… Match of the Night

Shane O Mac vs The Undertaker — Hell in a Cell (Legacy Match)

I have watched a lot of Wrestlemania matches, none of them intrigued me like Shane O Mac vs The Undertaker. I couldn’t say why I was interested. I was just intrigued by it all. Before the match started my mind was filled with curiosity, by the end my mind was full of “Holy Sh!t” and “Shane O Mac is a bloody hero among legends”. I won’t say much more other than Shane’s jump from the top of the cell was the only time in my life as a wrestling fan I recoiled and my hands were slapped onto my mouth with shock and horror… JUST PLEASE GO WATCH THIS WONDERFUL MATCH.

Undertaker walked away, Shane did not… Maybe one of the best Undertaker matches I’ve seen at Wrestlemania…ever.

I thought Shane might have died.

RAW tomorrow… just what does it mean for that…. Interesting

Andre the Giant Battle Royal

I was so happy to see this being moved of the pre-show as Battle Royals can be fun. WWE Network and the #FreeWrestlemania campaign screwed me here as the quality dropped poorly, but I was still able to watch the match.

My prediction, Kane or Mark Henry (maybe even Heath Slater). I though the shock of the match was when DDP appeared. But just before the match started, music played and who was it…

Shaq.

Shaquille O’Neal.

SHAQ.

It was awesome. That’s it really.

Baron Corbin last elimating Kane was a shock as he had just come off a defeat at NXT Takeover: Dallas, but hey NXT moment!

The Rock…

One of the big selling points for Wrestlemania was the appearance of The Rock. Coming out before the main event (I was expecting him to interfere with the main event) to annouce the new attendance record for Wrestlemania — 101,763 fans. Decent.

Then his music hit… “Is this all he is doing… that is horsesh…” *Wyatt family creepy noise*

The Wyatt Family (-Luke Harper) came out to confront the Great One.

Only to be torn to shreds by The Rock, classic lines include…

To Erick Rowan — “clearly your parents are related…”

To Braun Strowman — “looks like he’s been breast fed since he was 26”

There was a nice moment where The Rock put over Bray and the Universe welcomed it. Saying he had “the ability, the charisma, the look...” the fan agreed. I mean he isn’t wrong.

BUT SUDDENLY THE WWE NETWORK APP SCREWS ME AGAIN. #FREEWRESTLEMANIA IS A BAD BAD BAD THING.

Suddenly once I’ve stopped shouting and get the show back on I see The Rock in his trunks ready to fight and I’m furious I’ve missed out on something great. An impromptu match…

The Rock vs Erick Rowan

Rock Bottom. Pin. 1–2–3. 6 Seconds.

As The Wyatt Family advance, I wonder if someone will help The Rock out. Maybe someone like… hmmm.

Me: How cool would it be if John Cena appeared and helped The Rock.

John Cena arrives.

Me: AHHHHHHHHHHH

Both clean out. Need I say more.

The Main Event | Roman Reigns vs Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

This is the only match I wasn’t particularly fussed about by the time it came around. The build-up I felt was ‘meh’ and there was no Seth or Cash-in to save the day. Last year’s Wrestlemania was similar to me.. I wasn’t to interested in it until Seth Rollins cashed in (How cool was that).

The match was decent, slow at the start though.

Roman got booed, Triple H got cheered.

Roman spears Triple H through barricade (pretty awesome) and then spears Stephanie (awesome). Interestingly Stephanie was what made the match as interesting as it was… fair play to her.

All in all, it didn’t have the same energy or excitement that the Women’s Triple Threat Match had or the AMAZING Hell in a Cell match had. But it was decent. Roman Reigns is the NEW WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

PS: I am writing this at 6am local time (United Kingdom) forgive my poor grammar and terrible writing.