WM32 REAX #1 – “This was the wrong main event for a show of this length”

Roman Reigns (artist Travis Beaven © PWTorch)

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WrestleMania 32 Reax

– Mike Omansky, PWTorch correspondent (6.0): Best Match: Lesnar-Ambrose. Worst Match: Battle Royal. Pretty good show overall, although way too long. Take-Shane was well done; they worked hard, as did Triple H in his WWE Title match. However, the title match was fair, not great.

Nice to see Zack Ryder get his moment in the sun. The League of Nations vs. New Day was decent and the after-match with past stars was fun. The Rock was good with Bray Wyatt, but that was also a little long. The Divas three-way match was adequate; poor Ryback lost the pre-show “curtain jerker” spot.

– VIP member Anthony in Los Angeles (4.0): Best Match: IC Title ladder match. Worst Match: Taker-Shane. What a mess. Bad booking of mostly really good talent and wasted potential. Taker-Shane was just a collection of stunt bumps and spray tan. They did everything they could to force the crowd to cheer Roman Reigns and they failed miserably. Can’t wait to hear Todd Martin foaming at the mouth. WWE…how dare you?!

– David Rodriguez (6.0): Best: Brock-Ambrose. Worst: New Day vs. League. The Taker-Shane and A.J.-Jericho matches were next best. The main event was meh and predictable. Everything else was passable. Overall, an unexciting Mania saved by three matches. Finally, way too long!

– William Noetling in Los Angeles, Calif. (4.0): Best: IC Title ladder match. Worst: Main Event. I’ve watched every WrestleMania, I go back to before the first one…and well, this one lived up to its expectations. As low as they were, it didn’t outshine them at all.

I could have totally done without The Rock for 30 minutes. As cool as it was, the spot that Shane did on the top of the cell was really scary, even if his fall was broken by an airbag under the table. Also it was telegraphed by the cut holes in the cage. We all knew someone was going up top.

Dean vs. Brock was a bore, and virtually nothing was unpredictable. Okay, maybe Zack Ryder winning the IC Title. Otherwise, either the matches were good with a boring ending, or the matches stunk.

– VIP member Derrick in Utah (5.5): This was mixed bag of an event in the purest sense. A few items that resonated with me after my viewing experience…

The opener was perhaps the best-stunt show ladder match I have seen in some time. Innovative spots, a prevailing story thread, and a surprising victor. Awesome start to WM32 and an incredible moment for Zack Ryder.

Styles and Jericho, timing issues and subdued crowd aside, they won the crowd over with a number of awesome sequences leading toward another surprising finish. Not a great, but a very good match.

As for The New Day vs. The League of Nations, the action was more hit than miss, but the match was not as interactive and “fun” as I expected… and then… perhaps I was dreaming, but HBK! Mick Foley! Stone Cold Steve Austin! Unbelievable!

Ambrose and Lesnar brought a new level of physical and intense. Essentially, this was the Punk-Lesnar story told at Summerslam three years back. Ambrose’s craziness added a unique element, but I do not know if it reached the level of Punk-Lesnar.

With the new Women’s belt, the position on the card, and the time allocation, they really did give a platform for the women to shine. They wrestled a very ambitious match. In many spots it felt too rushed, too choreographed, and very rickety. The ladies looked nervous. The effort shined through in the end, but I think the performance fell short of what they wanted it to be.

Taker vs. Shane was a mess. Way too slow and way too deliberate, and that is excusing an array of mistimed spots, terrible strikes, and senseless finisher kick-outs. I wish they would have just rushed into the massive high spot and got it over with. With the exception of two or three highlights, this was a complete mess. With a payoff of this caliber, this has too be one of the worst WWE WM storyline and culminations in my memory. The live crowd was way more forgiving then me.

The Rock-Wyatt family segment. What started as a hype segment, evolved to a verbal joust, became a quick singles match, and transformed into a babyface celebration and crowd pleasing jubilee. People will question the segment, but the show needed a shot in the arm. This was a shot of cocaine laced epinephrine.

In the main event, Reigns and Hunter wrestled a methodical match that tried to mimic the title matches of yesteryear and fell well short. Unlike Taker-Shane, the work was believable, but pushing the seven-hour mark, the match never sped past second gear did not come across well to the live crowd. Roman is not the babyface he needs to be. The crowd appeared apathetic for the majority of the match, but they did come alive for the finish. This was the wrong main event for a show of this length.

Did you watch WrestleMania? We’re looking for your 0-10 score, Best/Worst Match, and Reax sent to pwtorch@gmail.com.

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