Wrestlemania 37 - April 10th & 11th

[Supremo]

I only managed the first half of this show before real life dragged me away. Hopefully catch the second half tonight.

The first forty five minutes was unintentionally some of the best stuff they’ve aired in forever. After what’s felt like years of miserable robots delivering badly scripted dialogue it was like being ripped out of the Matrix watching everyone’s real personalities suddenly shine through. From Rhea Ripley in tears during the opening song, to Sasha Banks beaming with happiness, to Roman looking the fucking business in his suit, to Unscripted Promo Roulette with guys like Kevin Owens and Big E solidifying why this company should be built around them, to Samoa Joe in his hilarious poncho, looking like he’s in the queue to go for a piss at Glastonbury Festival. What a blast! They won’t learn anything from this, but man. What a company this could be if everyone could be themselves a bit more and they had weather warnings every week, allowing everything to feel more natural and haphazard.

It was back to business shortly thereafter though. That opener was the most perplexing thing they could have ever booked. Over a year without fans, your first match back, everyone’s ready to have a good time, waiting for you to put smiles on their faces...and then Drew and Lashley go about fifteen minutes too long, with the heel winning practically clean! And by rendering the babyface unconscious, too! What the hell were they thinking? The entire reason Drew lost the belt was for him to have his big moment winning it back in front of fans. You could sense the air getting sucked out of that arena, putting a huge dampener on rest of the show, and for what? So Drew can win it back in an empty building in a few months instead? Madness.

The women’s tag was a fucking embarrassment. The definitive example of why everyone needs to shut the fuck up about women like Dana Brooke and Lana dEsErViNg iT~! because they try really hard all year. I don’t care. They’re shit. Find better uses for them or address the very clear problem with your developmental system. Billie Kay’s another one. I love her. She’s really funny. There’s a place for her on TV. She needs to put her wrestling boots in the bin forever though. The chasm between the good women on the roster and this shower of shite is humongous.

Cesaro and Seth was great fun. Fair play to Seth. After the terrible babyface run and the year long turd of a feud with the Mysterios this new character tweak feels like it’s got some legs. He seems to be leaning more into his real personality of being a bit of a stupid dickhead, particularly with the stuff he’s been putting out on Twitter, but even that advert paid for by friends of Seth Rollins made me laugh. Fuck me though. Just as quickly as I’m happy to have fans back (and absolutely howling at them booing Hulk Hogan!), we’re back to them being unable to count swings properly. As if Michael Cole’s job isn’t hard enough having Vince screaming in his ear. You hear the precise moment he simply gave up counting when he realised the fans can’t count unless it’s to the exact same rhythm as ten punches in the corner.

[LaGoosh]

That New Day vs AJ/Osmos match was fucking weird. Well put together and performed and all but aren't the New Day supposed to be the babyfaces? The whole psychology of the match was the complete opposite. Very, very strange.

As for the rest, it was the first full WWE show I've watched since Wrestlemania 35. In ring stuff was all fine or good. Confused at Drew losing due to MVP distracting him even though it didn't actually look like MVP did anything. The production is as ugly, overwhelming and massively off putting as I remember though. Is there a wrestling commentator with any less credibility than Michael Cole?

Fans being back made it feel like normal though so that alone was refreshing enough that it kept my attention. I'll give night 2 a watch but nothing on it caught my interest enough that I'll watch Raw or Smackdown anytime soon.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Hogan made his bed, not with the racist comments, but the way he tried to make out the locker room were being fannies for not accepting his "enter name here" printed off google apology that everyone saw through. People are very forgiving if you actually are remorseful, but that famous Hogan ego eventually killed him. His value is less than nothing these days. Why even have him out there? Just sell his action figures and foam fingers and let us pretend the bloke we saw on those Silver Vision releases wasnt the mad old cunt who shagged his mates wife and got angry at the black man post coitus. We dont need to see the clown.

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

7 minutes ago, IANdrewDiceClay said:

Hogan made his bed, not with the racist comments, but the way he tried to make out the locker room were being fannies for not accepting his "enter name here" printed off google apology that everyone saw through. People are very forgiving if you actually are remorseful, but that famous Hogan ego eventually killed him. His value is less than nothing these days. Why even have him out there? Just sell his action figures and foam fingers and let us pretend the bloke we saw on those Silver Vision releases wasnt the mad old cunt who shagged his mates wife and got angry at the black man post coitus. We dont need to see the clown.

This, I’ll always be a mark for Hulk Hogan the performer, but I’ll be happy to never see Terry Bollea the man in front of a WWE crowd again

[pitseleh]

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a modern WWE show as much as this. There were no MOTYC candidates here, but we got an easily digestible show that didn't run too long and had plenty of variety. The weather delaying their first show back felt like karma for the company acting like immoral shits during the pandemic. It was both interesting and hilarious watching them try out stuff on the fly.

I assumed the first match's result would be a foregone conclusion. Drew finally winning the WWE title in front of a crowd would be a picture perfect way to wrap up the first match in front of fans in over a year, but instead they went with Lashley retaining. I have no issue with this booking choice, as it gave Lashley a lot of heat. The match itself was good, with both guys not being afraid to throw each other around. 

Has there ever been a good turmoil match? The women's tag gauntlet match might of been one of the worst ones yet. With the exception of Naomi, every women in this match has been booked to feel like a complete afterthought, so why should we care? Even with the poor booking, there were still plenty of botches making this a complete waste of time. 

Cesaro vs Rollins was a fun back-and-forth match with plenty of workrate. They busted out some 2000's indie staples like the Scorpio Rising and the UFO. It's good to see Cesaro finally pick up a singles victory at Wrestlemania. 

The face/heel dynamic of the Styles/Omos vs New Day was incredibly strange. You had the babyfaces work over Styles, in an attempt to stop him from tagging his partner. Although a heel working towards a hot tag goes against tag team psychology, I enjoyed this for what it was. Omos clearly still has a lot of work to do, but he looked good doing the basic stuff and was booked like a world beater. 

The Shane/Strowman cage was a fun spectacle. Chickenshit heel Shane is much easier to enjoy than watching him go toe-to-toe with the Undertaker like he did five years ago. I never felt like my intelligence was insulted watching Shane work over Strowman as he always needed help from a weapon or outside interference. That Shane cage bump was awesome, Strowman cutting a mid-match promo about bullying was not. 

As far as celebrity matches go, Bad Bunny's one was solid. He clearly is taking it seriously and the crowd responded to him well. All his stuff (minus his punching) looked decent, but I thought he got way too much stuff in for a non-wrestler. That Canadian Destroyer spot had me rolling my eyes. Miz and Morrison are the type of heels that don't look too bad losing to celebrity, and I thought Miz especially did a good job looking shocked whenever Bunny outsmarted or outworked him. 

Main event was good, but not great. It felt like they were patting themselves on the back before the bell even rung. The match itself was worked well, with Belair showing off some freaky strength and I'll never tire of seeing how they incorporate her hair into the match. Happy to see Belair get her moment.

[StrongStyle]

I thought the show was the perfect antidote to lockdown-era WWE. The virtual crowds etc were the best they could do under the circumstances but for me, this is the first time that wrestling felt like it mattered for ages. I even said to one of my friends "here - this actually feels like WrestleMania". Fans cheering, a rubbish singer I've never heard of singing 'America the Beautiful' and the nonsense fighter jet flyover. I actually felt quite emotional when the roster were out on the stage to open the show as it felt a bit like 'life being back', until the visuals of the anti-maskers and under-the-nose idiots put the fear of God into me. No doubt this will be a super spreader event.

The delay will surely go down in history. You could really feel the panic in the air and I thought the wrestlers coped well with it in the main: it was so mad cap and frantic. It was like a penalty shoot-out at the World Cup or the Euros as you definitely got the sense they were scrambling about going "WHO CAN CUT A PROMO?!" As other people have noted, they really need to learn from this and let them demonstrate more of their own personalities. Now is the perfect time - if their TV deal is as iron-clad as reported and they're not desperate for the next John Cena or Steve Austin, then it is time to let this lot take over and try to make themselves stars. Nights like this show that they can be and the blend of enhanced media coverage coupled with fan recognition turn them (briefly) into mega stars.

Some other thoughts:

- Surprised that Drew lost but there is plenty of time for him. They need to ride on the crest of this Lashley wave while they can: a match with Brock is surely in the works?

- The women's tag match almost killed the whole show. I know that nearly everything that could go wrong went wrong, but it isn't aided by not pulling the trigger on a really popular act like the Riott Squad who people are clearly interested in. When have Natalya or Tamina ever been relevant? It is laughable that they are treated like legends and insist it's off their own back when they are the worst kind of tribute acts to their relatives.

- Surely it is time to do something meaningful with Cesaro? I was amazed to hear that he's been there for 10 years now. That match lets them hit the reset button on any of it because he looked like a star and seems to be one of the most universally 'appreciated' guys in wrestling. They also finally seem to have understood what Seth Rollins is after years of trying him as a badass/unstoppable face/next anointed one. I think the guy is a total dick but this is his milieu and easily the most watchable I've ever found him to be.

- One of the highlights of the night was Shane's GOB Bluth "I've made a huge mistake" face as he lay on the mat after getting thrown off the cage. What he does every year for his psychotic father's love is admirable and always memorable, but that's plenty this time, Shane. My heart was in my fucking mouth the whole time, but that might just be my age!

- Bad Bunny. I doubt there is anything I can add that you probably haven't read already, but he surely ranks as one of the best celebrities they've ever had? His entrance even got me hyped and I didn't know who he was until a few weeks ago. By all accounts he is massive and is being credited with bringing new fans to WWE, so this whole match must have given them a hard-on. Top marks to everyone in this match. The Canadian Destroyer was a bit much for me but if it short-circuited Jim Cornette, then it is absolutely fine by me.

- That women's main event was incredible. I loved it from start to finish.

[d-d-d-dAz]

The Shane McMahon bump might be his most insane to date.

Most of the audience are conditioned to be more impressed by tables and crash mats and all the fun of the fair. He’s out there taking an absurd flip bump from the top of a steel cage.

He could have done so much less and got the same reaction, if not bigger.

Crazy bastard.

[Jazzy G]

Looks like rain tonight as well. I wonder whether they're going to be able to arrange some kind of alternate setup to keep everything dry, a ring in the back and make everybody watch on a big screen or something.

[uklaw]

Let’s not forget that Michael Cole spectacularly blew the call at the end of the main event.

[Perry]

I quite enjoyed the Drew/Lashley match, I was surprised with the result as I assumed they were going to put the title back on McIntyre.

The cage match was ok for what it was, I was still a little disappointed there was no big stunt from Shane.

Banks V Belair was as good as expected, well deserving the main event spot.

Pretty much skipped through the rest of the matches as I had no interest.  It looked like Dana and Mandy came straight from a Brazzers shoot.

[d-d-d-dAz]

3 minutes ago, Perry said:

The cage match was ok for what it was, I was still a little disappointed there was no big stunt from Shane.

You’re a psychopath, lad.

He took a header from standing off a steel cage without any gimmicks to fall through. If that’s not a big stunt, the games fucked.

[SpykeDudlei1]

23 hours ago, Perry said:

The cage match was ok for what it was, I was still a little disappointed there was no big stunt from Shane.

This right here is a perfect example of why for years we’ve seen crazy spot after crazy spot, each more dangerous than the next, trying to satiate the blood-thirsty appetite of those who will never be fully satisfied until someone is carted out in a body bag.

Edited April 12, 2021 by SpykeDudlei1

[Perry]

3 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

You’re a psychopath, lad.

He took a header from standing off a steel cage without any gimmicks to fall through. If that’s not a big stunt, the games fucked.

Don't get me wrong it was certainly a dangerous spot. I think it was after seeing him fall from the HIAC. Maybe I should've said it wasn't the stunt I expected.

[Hannibal Scorch]

The opener proved they haven’t got a clue. Doing the swerve result was a real WTF moment. Not giving Drew a title win in front of an audience after him holding the company up during the pandemic is just insulting to him. 
 

The Turmoil match was a disgrace as was the winners. Just why? Cesaro and Seth had a great showing. Other then Shane’s insane bump, that whole match was crap. The tag title match was odd. New Day were basically working heel. Omos will have about a year before he’s run will just be another joke. 
 

Bad Bunny did well, but let’s not get it twisted. Most of the big moves he did were moves they had control over, not him (like the destroyer). As soon as you could see both Sasha and Bianca trying not to cry, I knew it would be special. A few sloppy bits, but overall I enjoyed it. That hair whip though... made me absolutely wince!

Better then last year thus far. I loved the scrambling backstage due to weather though. Really showed why some people need to be scripted. 

[Perry]

I'm still surprised that Orton V The Fiend is still booked as a singles match.  There's only 2 matches on the card tonight that interests me, Asuka V Ripley and the triple threat main event.

Although I would like to see Sheamus brogue kick Riddle's head off within the first few seconds.