Wrestlemania 30 commentary

Well tonight we took in the spectacular that was Wrestlemania 30. This one had a lot to live up to and on paper it wasn't the strongest ever card that has been offered. Proceedings kicked off with Hulk Hogan introducing the whole shooting match (and cocking up the name of the venue in the process) before the first surprise of the night came as we was joined in the ring by Stone Cold Steve Austin. They were then joined by The Rock. This shouldn't have worked but the three of them all worked the mic really well and had great chemistry between them.

So what went down on the "grandest stage of the them all"?

HHH v Daniel Bryan

This was a great way to kick things off. The stipulation here was that the winner of this match would then go on to participate in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship. This was a good match. It was a technical match which was great to see. Both HHH and Daniel Bryan really went for it in this match. Although we were 99% sure that Bryan would get the win there were certainly times when doubt was cast into our minds. A really good match that gave great hope for the rest of the card and we were delighted that Daniel Bryan one. The additional beat down that Bryan got from HHH was not unexpected and made Bryan the real underdog heading into the Triple Threat match.

The Shield v Kane & the New Age Outlaws

This match was short, VERY short. I guess the solidity of The Shield as a unit was in doubt so the WWE decided to show that this was not the case. The Shield came in, took apart Kane and New Age Outlaws and left victorious after five minutes. Job done. The Shield are solid again and the crowd love them. Was it a great match, NO.

Andre The Giant Memoral Battle Royal

This was good fun. There were bodies flying everywhere as the numbers were slowly whittled down to the final four. Lots of great moments, another Kofi Kingston dodge to delay his elimination and some surprising moves. We were finally left with Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Big Show and Antonio Cesaro. Thankfully Del Rio and Sheamus were gone quickly leaving Big Show and Cesaro for an incredible finish. Cesaro lifted up Show and chucked him over the ropes for the win in a real WOW moment. Even he looked surprised. Classy moment of the night was Big Show shaking his hand in respect afterwards. Great stuff.

Bray Wyatt v John Cena

This was a real snooze fest. We could see what they were trying to do with the story line but it just didn't work. Cena sort of tried to wrestle a bit but the pace was really slow and never really gathered any momentum with lots of pauses and pouting going on. The Wyatt Family gimmick can work but it was a total flop for this match. Just horrible. No more of this crap please!

Brock Lesnar v The Undertaker

The Undertaker has had 21 Wrestlemania matches in his career and has a record of 21 - 0. The Streak is the most coveted prize in the WWE. Probably more so than any championship belt. The Undertaker's matches at Wrestlemania have always been excellent. Sadly tonight this was not the case. It was clear that The Undertaker really has seen better days and his body is just not up to taking a battering. He only wrestles once a year now but he just didn't really seem prepared for this one. There was plenty of back and forth stuff going on. It was a total shock for everyone when Lesnar hit his third F-5 and got the three count. The arena went silent. Jaws dropped and grown men cried. Unbelievable and totally unexpected. This was not a great match and I guess that's why it hurt to see The Undertaker lose. Saying that, apparently he had decided it was time to go and as is the way with old school wrestlers when it is time to call time on your career, you go out losing. The Streak probably should have been unbreakable, a treasure for The Undertaker to take to the Hall Of Fame with him but that's not the way he plays.

Vickie Guerrero Divas Championship Invitational
A shit divas match was the worst possible way to follow the shock of seeing The Undertaker losing the streak. This match was a waste of space as most divas matches are and it probably should have been the opening bout, not so high up. In another time and space seeing Brie and Nikki Bella wrestling each other might have been a wet dream come true for some but now was not the time. The Undertaker had just lost The Streak! Match ended with AJ retaining the belt not that anybody cared.

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton (current champion) v Batista v Daniel Bryan. This had the makings of a good match. We were not disappointed. Orton and Batista constantly beat seven shades of stuff out of Daniel Bryan and Bryan consistently battled against the odds and hung in there. HHH and Stephanie turn up with a dodgy ref to try and screw Bryan over but he takes out the whole of The Authority. With that threat vanquished it was back to the match proper once again. All three combatants took it to each other with Daniel Bryan constantly causing an upset. Once again there was doubt as to whether or not Daniel Bryan could get the job but he did and with style. This was a really good match and it was great to see Bryan holding the gold again with entire audience joining in with the YES YES YES chant! Great stuff!

So there it was. Wrestlemania 30, the anniversary event and a real mixed bag. Although I think I understand why it happened I'll probably never get over The Undertaker losing The Streak. The Battle Royal was good and the Daniel Bryan matches were excellent but the rest of the card really lacked the sparkle that we expect from Wrestlemania.

Roll on Wrestlemania 31. I'm holding out for a Sting v The Undertaker match.