I went into the show last night assuming that the WWE was going to take action and do something different based on the reaction they have been getting to their product. They did nothing beyond stay the course and it resulted in a lackluster show that had it's moments. There was very little important story advancement and unless they can really hit a homerun tonight or demonstrate an ability to start putting out better creative it's going to be a long spring and summer for fans.
Pre-show Matches
I think the only thing of note here was that it was surprising that they were so slow letting the crowd in as was evidenced by the empty seats during these matches. Kalisto got a nice win, the Dudley's took a bad loss, and the Divas were being Divas one last time.
Ladder Match for the IC Title
This match was plenty fun and there were some good spots, but I felt like the story was lacking as to why these 7 guys were matched together. If Owens has spent months pissing in all their Cheerios I would have said ok this makes sense. It was a shame that Zayn got such a huge reaction because it highlighted the fact that a Zayn Owens singles match would have been really good in this spot instead of this. This show needed that.
In the end Ryder winning fit the story of there really being no story. I felt good for him, but I just scratch my head. Given the results of the rest of the show what major heels does WWE really have right now? Can they really afford to be having Owens lose? I thought the whole reason for the 7 man was maybe to give Owens the win and protect Zayn for a feud down the road. I think WWE just tried to be different here and it was a mistake of a result. It was a good match, bad result overall.
AJ Styles and Chris Jericho
It's not too often that the fourth match of any feud is really going to have any true heat or fire too it. Jericho's turn was good, but it was obvious and the feud was tired by the time he did it. It was a good match, but I think people wanted to see AJ in a better spot. The result is no surprise. They want to prolong this to one more match because WWE is reading the crowd wrong on this. Yes these two have good matches and that's what hardcore fans want to see, but they also want to see different people vs. Styles.
The New Day Vs. The League of Nations
I wasn't sure why this wasn't a title match going in, but it became obvious after. I think the match was a total throw away. I'm just not sure how WWE didn't bring up Cass and Enzo months ago to set up some epic show down between the New Day and the big baby face team. I think this again shows WWE's lack of creative.
The Stone Cold, HBK, Mic Foley segment was by far my favorite part of the show. Stone Cold proved that popping a crowd has nothing to do with the era. That crowd went nuts when he came out. It just highlights how poorly WWE has built stars. I think it's also worth noting that Shawn Michaels looked in fantastic shape.
Women's Triple Threat
I thought they did a good job here with entrances and hype. This match came the closest of the night to having that big match feel. It was like the WWE had it somewhat correct with a clear heel against some faces. I understand why you give Charlotte the win like that because it allows for the setup to the Sasha and Charlotte one on one feud, but it still feels like Sasha should have been getting the strap here as a big emotional moment. Especially on a show that would lack them the rest of the night.
They have had better matches in the past. It wasn't bad, but it never seemed to get to that speed they have had in the past. I think this remains the most well handled match of the card though. It advanced a story, which is something this show was lacking.
Brock and Dean
This match was exactly what I thought it would be. I low octane bogus street fight that would do nothing for either guy. Dean eats another loss and Brock gets another win to keep his reputation in tact. There was just no way that WWE could make it too violent or put Dean over. Dean has now lost the IC title and three straight PPV matches. He's a on a total roll by WWE standards. I just can't wait for the WWE to leak that they are disappointed in the reactions that Dean is getting considering the red hot booking they have been giving him as of late.
They need to keep Brock off Raw tonight and off of future shows until the moment is right to bring him back. He's losing that feel and it's ridiculous that he has not run over the Authority to get back the title he really never lost. The rationale makes him look weak.
Shane and Undertaker
This match was exactly what I thought it would be. Shane and Taker had a boring start and middle with a few average spots. The commentators did all they could to get people to believe Shane had a chance. It all set up for the obvious jump off the cage spot, which seemed like a total waste in the end. I think the Undertaker really held his part here and Shane did as well. I don't think the match was great by any means, but I respect the work they put in here.
The crowd was not hot for this because I think you could tell they were torn by the story on who to root for. That's why the match made no sense. What was WWE expecting? It was shock and awe, but it left no one begging for more.
Battle Royal
It was good to see Baron Corbin win and get a rub, but compared to Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Apollo Crews, and a few others Corbin is just an average worker with size. I think if anyone needs another year in NXT it's him. It just shows the WWE can't help itself.
The Rock Segment
The WWE fails to realize the Rock has been on 6 straight Mania cards and was on Raw a few weeks back. This wasn't epic at all. It was cool to see him in his full ring gear and it was nice to John Cena back. I know people don't like Cena, but he's not the same dynamic as Reigns at all. Cena deserves some respect. I thought that was a cool moment, but otherwise all this did was bury the Wyatts even further. Bray gave a great promo, but again they just wasted it all away.
The Main Event Title Match
This match had to go on last if Undertaker was going to win. Yet this match was yet another bomb delivered to you by the great HHH. Let me first point out that HHH was in this exact position at WM22 in Chicago. He was the heel going into a title match with a hated face John Cena. That night he and Cena delivered. That's because HHH was ten years younger and John Cena is ten times the worker that Reigns is.
There was so much wrong here it makes my head hurt to think about it. First they brought out HHH first, which just annoys me to no end when the Champion is out first. They did this because they had a major strategy to protect Roman from booing. The less he is out there the less booing and it allowed Steph to build some heat on the crowd as a last ditch effort to get Roman over. Her speech was so damning of WWE fans and people in general that I had one glaring thought in mind. If Daniel Bryan was the opponent that would have all been perfect.
That being said a few weeks ago Stephanie defended the WWE brand by saying critics need to understand the product is geared towards kids. She then went on to deliver a speech that only adults would understand. The WWE is an excuse machine. When things don't go there way they just make up an excuse to cover their mistake. Roman is hated, oh it's because he's geared towards kids. My over the top speech is too hard to follow, we are trying to have a wider appeal. WWE needs to pick a lane and stay in it.
The WWE was definitely playing with the mics to mute as much Roman booing as possible because every chance they didn't he got booed. The match was exactly what I thought it would be. HHH is capable of having a good match when he is paired with the right person and so is Roman, but together it's going to be what it was. Punch, kick, basic wrestling move, repeat! Roman showed how little ring seasoning he truly has in this match. He should be embarrassed by his effort. If they were hugging and patting each other on the back after the show then they are all good at lying to each other.
I remember on WWE 24 when they showed everyone having a positive reaction in the back after last years main event. I just can't believe after all that they could do that again. This was just all kinds of awful. Why is a flattened Steph handing HHH a Sledge. Why is HHH so slow to use the Sledge after the ref saw it?
I remember thinking as I was watching this match and trying to stay awake how could WWE put Roman in yet another Mania main event after last year. It just shows a total lack of understanding and a determination to force feed people.
The WWE has basically taken a fire house that's shooting bad content and forcing their fans to drink from it. It's made the followers of WWE very critical of the brand and driven ratings to new lows. Sure things like WM the event are still going to draw and people will watch, but what about Payback in a few weeks? What about Raw in May when the weather is getting warm? Are people still going to be watching then?
I couldn't believe that the WWE went with almost all the worst possible outcomes. Who really went home happy, but diehard Undertaker fans who don't mind the Authority angle and a handful of Roman Reigns fans? I shouldn't forget about that major following Zach Ryder has as well.
I'm not listening to the WWE excuses of injuries and the like on this one. If WWE was going to go paint by numbers they could have done other things. Shane didn't have to take on the Undertaker. Brock could have taken on HHH instead of Roman. A heel Roman could have taken on Ambrose. I don't think that's a great card, but it's better than what we got and it would have been nice to see HHH beaten for the title by someone we actually all care about in Brock.
I'll even take it one step further. The fans that go to WM are the hardcore fans that want to see a good show and follow the business in more than just the WWE promotion. This show is a chance for the WWE to get over big stars that maybe the wider audience does not know. If you could take a star and insert him into that crowd and he has the skills and experience to deliver a grade A match then he will get cheered and coming out of that show that guy will now have a larger following and you wouldn't have to go out of you way to build the guy for months and months. It's an opportunity to hot shot a guy if done right.
After watching NXT Takeover Dallas I'm 100% sold on the fact that the WWE could have put Shinsuke Nakamura on this show and saved it. Given that the WWE was in a bad spot they should have went for something big and daring like that. They would have gotten praised for it, even if it didn't totally go off.
Yet, the WWE is not about happy ending and good wrestling. They are about making a guy into a movie star, which is clearly the plan with Roman Reigns. They want to make the guy into a movie star to help WWE Studios. They aren't looking out for what is best for business. Despite that fact you would think they would know when to pull the plug.
Ultimately WM32 was a flop and long term it damages the brand. You can't miss this much on your biggest show. I watch WWE out of habit and the design to not miss something fun happening. I'm not waiting for Stone Cold to return, but I'm looking for the next big thing to happen. The WWE needs to do better. I don't care how cheap the network is.
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