Wrestlemania 31 Review

Sorry people, I won't be talking about the tag match or the Battle Royal

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back again with a brand new wrestling review. Another Wrestlemania has come and gone and boy oh boy, was it was a show. Let's dive into the matches that Wrestlemania 31 had to offer

The First Match:

The 7 man IC title Ladder Match

This match was a great way to start off the show. I was reminded of why Ladder matches at Wrestlemania are so fun to watch. All the competitors in the match delivered with memorable spots in the match just like Dean Ambrose's Elbow drop from the ladder, the superplex off a ladder between Wade Barrett and Stardust, the headbutting competition between Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler and of course the biggest and most memorable spot in the match was when Luke Harper Power bombed Dean Ambrose through a ladder and pretty much killed the guy (Figuratively, although I do wonder if Dean was seriously injured in that match). Overall, this wasn't the big match of the night like everyone (Myself included) was raving it was going to be, but it was fun none the less. 

Next Up: Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins

This match wasn't the last time we saw Seth that night *wink wink*

This was another solid match-up. Both Seth and Randy put on a good match (And I don't even think they were performing at their top level). There were plenty of great counters between the two. Seth got to do his high-flying thing and Randy got to pull of some RKOs out of nowhere. Speaking of which, THE FINISH to the match. Words simply can not do it any justice.

Following that match we have:

Triple H vs Sting

This was essentially a "nostalgia match". What I mean by that is that you have wrestlers from yesteryear coming back for another match. Although in this case, Sting was wrestling in a WWE ring for the first time ever and he looked to be in great shape and he put in his best efforts into making his In ring WWE Debut a memorable one. Now I called this match a "nostalgia match" because Sting wasn't the only one to make an appearance last night.

Nash?! I inducted you in the Hall Of Fame the night before this bro!!

Halfway into the match DX interfered on behalf of Triple to help their buddy out but they weren't the only stable from the past to show up. The NWO also appeared to even the score and lend Sting a hand. Soon the match turned into a giant clutter as the two factions were throwing fisticuffs at one another and then Triple H and Sting whipped out their trademark weapons: Trip's Sledgehammer and Sting's baseball bat. Overall, the match was overbooked, but it was fun nonetheless. My only issues are the way the match ended and who won the match. Plus a very goofy entrance by Triple H.

Hey Everyone! We inducted Arnold in The Hall of Fame! In case you didn't know already!!

Next up: AJ Lee and Paige vs The Bella Twins

There isn't much I have to say about this match. It was a very decent match (And for the divas on the WWE main roster, that's saying a lot). The real stars of this match were Paige and Nikki Bella. Both really brought their A-Game in this match. Paige was selling her tail off while Nikki looked pretty impressive (Once again I feel awfully dirty for complimenting a Bella Twin...). Brie had a nice missle dropkick in the match and AJ...well, she did stuff...she was outside of the ring the majority of the match doing jack sh*t until the last three minutes of the match. She must have been taking lessons from her husband CM Punk

  

Up next: John Cena vs Rusev for the United States Championship

Eh...This was another match I wasn't so excited for and I just couldn't get myself into it. The match itself wasn't so bad, but it wasn't so great. Although there was a really cool spot where Cena did this springboard stunner. That was unbelievable. It was a match with a very predictable ending. 

Next:

Before I talk about this match I have to say, I feel very emasculated after Taker's and Sting's matches because here you have two fifty year-old men and they are in much better shape than I'm currently in. Taker physically and in-ring wise looked great. Much healthier and much more alive than he did during his match last year against Brock Lesnar. With that all said, the match between these two were much slower than the other ones on the card, but what they lacked in fast paced wrestling, they made up for in storytelling. I paid very close attention to this match, more specifically Bray Wyatt's facial reactions. The story he told was that even when the Undertaker was punching his lights out, in a way he was happy to have resurrected the Undertaker just so he could finish him off again. Combine that with the story of the Undertaker and what happened last year and you questioning whether or not he still had it left in him and you'll see that this was a very entertaining match from a story perspective. Also near the end of the match. The moment where Bray Wyatt did his Spider Walk and then The Undertaker sat up was a great moment in itself.

Lastly: Let's talk about the big one, the main event: Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns

Whoops! Sorry, wrong picture

#SuplexCityBitch needs to be on a T-shirt. Seriously

Does anyone remember John Cena vs Brock Lesnar last year at SummerSlam? If you don't, refer to the Simpsons picture. People often called Roman Reigns John Cena 2.0 and well...the match between Brock and Roman was very much like Brock vs Cena, only this match was much much worse. In a way it was like fanservice to everyone that doesn't like Roman Reigns. I have to give the WWE props, while I hated the fact that Roman was booked like an underdog, it was done very effectively tonight. Of course I can't really talk about this main event without mentioning the BIG thing that happened near the tail end of the match.

Told ya it wouldn't be the last time you saw him.

Seth Rollins booked it down the ramp of Wrestlemania and he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, a briefcase that allows for a title match any time the person holding it desires. I can honestly say that this was the most innovative Money in the Bank cash in since Edge first did it.  Before Wrestlemania, fans have speculated the moment Roman Reigns won the Royal Royal, that Seth Rollins would cash in his briefcase at Wrestlemania. But the way the cash in happened: During the middle of the main event match and turning it into a triple threat was a stroke of genius. Not only that, but the way the cash in happened, there was still that possibility available that Seth could possibly lose this match but that didn't happened. Seth Rollins walked out of Wrestlemania as the new WWE World Heavyweight champion. On top of that, Brock was never pinned in the match, which was even more smart booking as it keeps Brock's presentation as an unstoppable heel in tact and those that thought Roman Reigns didn't deserve the main event spot were happy as not only did he win the match, he got the ever living sh*t kicked out of him! This was a match that could've EASILY gone wrong in every single way, but it was an amazing main event.   

I had said in my Wrestlemania 31 predictions that this was one of the worst builds to a Wrestlemania I had ever seen. While I still hold on to that statement, I can safely say that Wrestlemania 31 delivered and was an entertaining event all around. There were no bad matches on the card and the ones that I cared the least for had a memorable moment in them. Solid Wrestling, great storytelling and a shocking ending that has me excited for what's to come next: What more can you ask for as a wrestling fan? Wrestlemania 31 is definitely a show worth watching. My one hope for next year is that there's a solid build to a solid show because it seems that the WWE can't have those two things go hand in hand with one another

Till next time folks, I'm the Shaman of Animation. Take Care...