Another WrestleMania has come and gone. The reviews are in and WrestleMania 31 was definitely one for the ages. Overall, it was an exciting and entertaining show. The Monday Night Wars came back to life. UFC champ Ronda Rousey and The Rock made appearances and were able to successfully intimidate The Authority. And Seth Rollins finally cashed in his Money In the Bank. The vibe was definitely different looking in retrospect.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony tears were still there, with Connor “The Crusher” and “Macho Man” Randy Savage being inducted posthumously, albeit a known tearjerker as opposed to the shocking tearjerking moment The Ultimate Warrior’s induction from last year would become knowing that he would untimely pass away only a few days later. The Undertaker was there but only this time reclaiming his title as being victorious at WrestleMania as opposed to his shocking defeat by Brock Lesnar at last year’s Mania. The up-and-coming wrestler was crowned champion. Last time this was the position Daniel Bryan was in, and even this was greeted with turmoil when he had to relinquish his title due to injury not long after. Here’s hoping this year’s rising star Mania champion, Seth Rollins, can remain in good health and have a long and exciting reign.

The pre-show tag team championship match was filled with that high-octane energy that has become a staple in tag team matches. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro kept their titles but it didn’t come without a price, as bodies flew everywhere and even the divas (Natalya with the champions and Naomi with the Usos) got involved. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal saw Damien Mizdow finally turning on The Miz, something that has seemed to have been in the works for weeks now. Big Show won his first battle royal, something that should have happened years ago due to his massive size.

The show kicked off with a bang with the always exciting WrestleMania ladder match gave the Intercontinental Title to Daniel Bryan. This came after Bryan and Ziggler had a literal head-butt battle on the ladder and Dean Ambrose crashed through a ladder, snapping it in half. All of the competitors showed the heart that they have by going the distance. Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins but by the end of the night, Rollins would have the last laugh.

Triple H and Sting put on a surprisingly exciting match, complete with theatrical entrances and a Monday Night War reunion as DX came to Triple H’s aid and the nWo came out to help Sting. At the end, after Triple H reigned supreme, the two factions shook hands in a show of respect, almost symbolically ending the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars for good with the closure of Sting finally being in a WWE ring. While it can be understood that this is still the WWE and it wasn’t likely Sting was going to win, even though he was the draw with his return, the match was still fun and provided an excellent trip down nostalgia road.

A musical performance by Skylar Grey, Kid Ink, and Travis Barker got the crowd off what had just unfolded giving wrestling enthusiasm to the hands of the divas, who were the next match. AJ Lee and Paige, who was making her Mania debut, shone bright as they wrestled against the Bella Twins, who are arguably one of the most improved divas ever to be on the WWE roster. While it was surprising that AJ Lee got the submission victory as opposed to Paige, all four divas in the match performed excellently  and with a match lasting longer than 30 seconds and properly showcasing their athletic abilities, it appears as though #GiveDivasAChance is becoming even more of a reality.

Rusev and Lana came out in a Russian-inspired entrance, complete with a tank while John Cena greeted the crowd with a video showcasing the best of what it means to be an American. If Rusev were to ever lose, WrestleMania was the stage to have it happen and Cena did just that. Cena being the US Champion, a mid-card title, further supports the theory that focus is being taken off of him and placed on more up and coming talent. We’ll see what happens next.

One of the highlights of the night was when The Rock interrupted a rant that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (The Authority) were shooting out at the crowd, belittling them. After words were exchanged between The Rock and Stephanie, Rock explained how he would never hit a woman and called out to the ring his friend and one of the toughest women in the world, UFC Champ Ronda Rousey, who is an avid WWE fan. Rousey was in attendance with her Four Horsewomen (Marina Shafir, Jessamyn Duke, and Shayna Baszler) who cheered her on as Rousey was surrounded with chants of “Ronda’s Gonna Kill You” aimed at Stephanie. While Rock and Triple H soon came to the point of exchanging blows, Rousey judo tossed Triple H then placed McMahon in an arm bar, causing both to immediately leave. Seeing huge wrestling fans in story lines is always a plus and having such physical combat icons as The Rock and Ronda Rousey in a WWE ring together at WrestleMania can only be described as epic. Plus it doesn’t hurt that Rousey and Rock will both be appearing in Furious 7 together.

The Undertaker returned to the WrestleMania stage for the first time after losing last year to Brock Lesnar, ending his over two-decade long WrestleMania undefeated streak. Looking healthy and incredibly better than the weak appearance he had last year, The Undertaker gave an incredible performance with Bray Wyatt, a fantastic moment and display of ability for the young star.

The main event had Brock Lesnar beating Roman Reigns to next to nothing. Before he could pin the number one contender, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money In The Bank, making the match Triple Threat and ultimately pinning Reigns. It was a shock that caused the entire stadium to explode in an uproarious cheer. On one hand, it’s surprising to think that the man who ended the Undertaker’s undefeated streak a year earlier left this year’s Mania without the title he entered it with. However, Lesnar is an unstoppable character. It would be nearly unrealistic for just anyone to defeat him so the belt was not only able to be taken off of him without him getting beat up, Seth Rollins was able to cash in (ending that storyline), and have his WrestleMania moment. Even though Lesnar signed a new contract stating that he would stay with the WWE and leave MMA, Rollins is guaranteed to not be a part-timer anytime soon so here’s to hoping for more title defenses.

WrestleMania 31 has come and gone but it definitely made its mark to stand out as one of the most entertaining and exciting Manias in recent years.

-Celine

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Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night! Those words were uttered from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and SNL cast member Leslie Jones on Saturday, March 28th when The Rock returned to Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center and hosted the acclaimed late night sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live for the 4th time. The appearance was highlighted in a WWE video package showing pre-WrestleMania week of Superstar and Diva media appearances and The Rock participated in a WWE-inspired sketch on the show, making fun of backstage interviews with cast members Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan, two SNLers who have been seen ringside at Monday Night RAW before.

The show opened with The Rock reprising his role as “The Rock Obama”, a character he played from his last time hosting. From a musical opening monologue number by Johnson explaining that he is “Franchise Viagra” for Hollywood, to a parody of Disney’s Bambi starring Johnson in a Furious 7 type trailer, The Rock kept the laughs coming.  With sketches making fun of Starbuck’s “Race Together” campaign with #Genderflect to a a double Dinner Date between Johnson and his British girlfriend (Cecily Strong) and another couple (Vanessa Bayer and Kenan Thompson), it was a strong episode for the iconic show’s 40th season

-Celine

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