WrestleMania 33 Review

It is an end of an era, WWE Universe. At Wrestlemania 33 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, one of the greatest of all time has hung up his boots after the main event. The Undertaker calling it a career culminated in a Wrestlemania that many in the future will look at as one of the best shows ever. 13 matches overall, including three during the two-hour pre-show; a concert in between the show; and a marriage proposal that was long overdue, in my opinion, captivated the WWE Universe and kept the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the five hour spectacle. Now, we enter a new era in WWE, so let’s get this review going! (Note: Seeing that Wrestlemania creates moments that will last in WWE lore, there is a separate “Moment of the Night” and a “Wrestlemania Moment” just for this occasion)

Best Match of the Night: Seth Rollins def. Triple H in an Unsanctioned Match

Let me be clear here: when it comes to the best match of the night, there were some contenders. Orton/Wyatt was good, the Raw Women’s Fatal 4 Way was good, and Reigns/Undertaker was good as well. But this match stood out to me out of all of the contenders. First off, Seth Rollins’ entrance was awesome! When you set the entire stage ablaze via LED lights, you better be prepared for a fight. Sure, Triple H got a police escort and rode a Harley trike, but that paled in comparison to Rollins’ entrance. The fight itself was a back and forth affair, even with Rollins fighting with an injured knee. It’s the kind of match that keeps you on your toes, and those are the matches I enjoy. Finishers left and right, weapons used at the user’s desire, and the burning determination from both competitors to not lose this fight. The end was coming once Triple H accidentally shoved his wife, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, throwing her through a table. That opened a chance for Rollins’ to win, and after a Pedigree, the injured Architect can add the title of “Kingslayer” to his resume. After back-to-back losses at Wrestlemania, you have to wonder: what does the future hold for the COO of WWE?

Worst Match of the Night: Brock Lesnar def. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Title

The reason this match is the worst match of the night is because this match was completely one-sided. Lesnar dominated his opponent right from the beginning, with 10 german suplexes and an F-5. Although Goldberg delivered a spear right after the third suplex, he wasn’t really able to create any more offense against the Beast, and with that, Lesnar won the Universal Title for the first time in his career. If this match didn’t happen at Survivor Series, then maybe this could’ve been a good match. Instead, it was a match that was completely overhyped the second it was announced as a title match, and failed to deliver anything to the WWE Universe. But hey, at least it was longer than 3 minutes.

Moment of the Night: John Cena proposing to Nikki Bella after their victory

First off, before we go into the moment after the match, if anyone from NBC’s Today is reading this, please, for the love of God, archive Al Roker calling himself “Chocolate Thunder” and play it over and over again for his complete humiliation! Now, to the moment at hand. Cena and Bella’s relationship has been documented during the reality TV show Total Divas and the spinoff Total Bellas. If you’ve seen the show at all, you know they’ve talked about marriage in past episodes. The way this match was set up, you immediately got the sense of a possible proposal after the win (if you thought Miz and Maryse were going to win, you’re nuts). The match itself wasn’t a huge hit mostly because of Miz and Maryse showing off more than wrestling. After the match, Cena got down on one knee and Nikki said “Yes!”. Congratulations to the happy couple!

“Wrestlemania Moment”: The Undertaker Calling It A Career

This decision has to be unanimous with the WWE Universe. The Undertaker is a revered figure in all of wrestling. You mention his name, and you can think of the gong of his entrance theme; the rivalries with the likes of Batista, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Kane; and probably the most impressive of all, his 21 straight victories at Wrestlemania. One feels that Taker should’ve beat Reigns and retired under his own power. To a point I agree, but the whole “my yard” storyline they had going signalled that WWE was entering a new era, and Roman Reigns was going to lead the charge, whether people like it or not. The transfer of the yard from the Deadman to the Big Dog marks the end of this era, and the beginning of the new one. The Undertaker should be the first entrant in the 2018 Hall of Fame, and his career and legacy should be celebrated on Raw and Smackdown Live on Monday and Tuesday, respectfully. There will never be another Undertaker. A Wrestlemania staple. An incredible fighter. A true legend.

Overall Grade: A-

This show was much better than last years. The surprise return of the Hardy Boyz and their subsequent tag team title victory, the celebration as Naomi won the Smackdown Women’s title in her hometown, and Randy Orton winning the WWE World Championship capped off an impressive night. The one thing that is keeping me from giving this show an A+ is the length of the show itself. Five and a half hours (seven and a half if you count the two hour kickoff show) at home for one show is a long time, and can make it boring for some fans. The scheduling of the matches were ok as I look back at it. The ending of the show itself was a fitting tribute not only to the Undertaker, but to the era that was in the WWE. The symbolic gongs that sounded across the Citrus Bowl as the lights went out was a wonderful way to end the show itself. As we know prepare for the next Wrestlemania in New Orleans, we, the WWE Universe, wait to see what the new era holds for the superstars, for us fans, for the WWE brand itself.