WWE WrestleMania 38 - Saturday - 02/04/2022
Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin (w/Madcap Moss)
I saw their angle at Dya One which I thought was actually pretty good but this didn’t seem to be anything more than a foregone conclusion. This ultimately was an extended squash with Corbin getting more offence than probably deserved since they like him a lot. The highlight of the match was McIntyre kicking out of the End Of Days. That move is so protected so it was made for a great false finish. That’s it though. Although McIntrye cutting the ropes with his sword was a sight to see too. **1/4
The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio & Rey Mysterio) vs. Logan Paul & The Miz
Los Gringos Locos attire from Dom is a massive plus. A lovely tribute to their Father (heh). Also I just adore Logan Paul’s willingness to look as douche as possible. He wasn’t great in-ring but his character work was a threat to watch. He was able to get the most heat with a simple smug look into the hard camera. And I lost my mind when he did the Eddie stuff. Logan Paul was the star of the match. He gets it. Dminik doesn’t. But I can’t say that this was good in all truth. Dominik looked average. Rey was the glue holding things together but not in a spectacular way and Miz took a backseat to Logan Paul. **1/4
WWE RAW Women's Title Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
The match played out very simply. They both go for the quick win, a call back to Summerslam before they move into the body of the match which they are even and then the all out WM Title match closing stretch with nearfalls. A recipe for a good match but unfortunately a lot of the wrestling was done in an awkward and rather clumsy fashion that the ceiling was set pretty early. Once Bianca and Becky started to turn from awkward to reckless, this became fun. I always enjoy it when someone crashes and burns on a 450. Becky doing the Momo Latch was a pretty cool moment too. So this turned out pretty fine. ***
Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes
Expected opponent and the match was laid out pretty much to expectations as well. Cody’s presentation doesn’t look nearly as obnoxious on the big stage as it does in Daily’s Place. Cody’s work early in the match didn’t cause much of a rise but once he did the hits that the fans were familiar with, they perked up. Seth’s role was filled well. He performed, true to WWE’s nature, in a basic yet soulless way. This had no real authentic quality to it. It had all the bells and whistles that it probably should’ve had but I didn’t really feel what they were doing. What can I say? This was a WWE main event styled match. ***
WWE SmackDown Women's Title Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
This was helped by the quality and stiffness that lays dormant somewhere in these two but this wasn’t terrific. A tad uncooperative which led to some fun exchanges but there wasn’t enough violence or gritt to make it special unlike the SVS match. Not much heat from the crowds either. The finish protected Ronda but it doesn’t mean that it’s not disappointing when at Wrestlemania. ***
WWE WrestleMania 38 - Sunday - 03/04/2022
WWE RAW Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) (c) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
Without going too crazy, I thought this was stupid fun. A fun and wild spotfest with some cool individual performances to tie it all together. Orton’s hot tag will grab the headlines but Riddle was great when he was selling and when he was pulling off all sorts of moves like the springboard RKO off the top rope. The other teams had their spots and delivered on them. I’m harsh on Ford but that blockbuster off the top rope was insane. Genuinely really good. Dare I say that this was the best match of the Mania shows upto this point? Gable Steveson looked very awkward and wooden in the post match angle. But his overhead suplex looked terrific. He just needs to get comfortable. ***1/2
Anything Goes Match: Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
It’s come full circle. DDT was created as a parody to WWE and 25 years later, WWE did a match that embodies what DDT lives by. It was so wonderfully crafted with Jackass jokes and so wonderfully entertaining for those who didn’t watch it. It was full of hijinks and pure ridiculous spots that just worked. This was amazing. President Sanshiro Takagi would be proud of this match (and proud of his former champion in Sami Zayn). Sami Zayn is an absolute genius. ****
AJ Styles vs. Edge
I do love that this master of storytelling did the same exact thing he does in every match despite turning into Edgertaker. Oh he just works slower. Brilliant. This was actually fine but Edge has a knack of turning fine into meh. This probably would’ve been better if they stuck to the work on AJ’s rips and there was more work around that. AJ’s bumping was solid. He took a gnarly one on the turnbuckle. But it turned into a generic kick-out with a distraction finish with Damien Priest showing up to help Edge win. And the Ministry of Darkness 2.0 is formed. **1/2
WWE Title / WWE Universal Title Unification Winner Take All Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) (c)
This was disappointing. I’m not sure why I expected anything more than this and yet here we are. I expected it to be longer honestly but this was their usual match where it’s finisher spam that the fans never truly buy as the finish and then don’t react properly when it actually happens. Brock’s selling was great in spurts but it’s hurt by such a lazy and terrible match layout. Clearly Wrestlemania 31 was lightning in a bottle. Damn. **1/4
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