After the mixed reviews on night one, I was wondering how Wrestlemania Sunday would unfold, particularly if any of the seemingly unresolved business would find a resolution before the weekend was finished. That’s one of the many hurdles created when the company decided to expand the presentation to a two-night format. Yes, you can essentially double the live gate, but you’re also tasked with selling twice as many tickets, which as we’ve seen this year, isn’t automatic just because you slap the Wrestlemania logo onto a show. Furthermore, when there are two nights, you have to theoretically live something on the table for Sunday. Yes, Wrestlemania is supposed to be the pay off, and in many ways, it’s conflicting purposes to have to use a Wrestlemania event to build to something the next day, but again, that’s the reality of a two-night format.
I’m not trying to pick a safe option with indifference on this, but I can actually see both sides of the argument on the mixed reviews of Wrestlemania Saturday. On one hand, and this might be a side effect of the shorter attention span of modern society, it seems as though some fans have unrealistic expectations of what they think Wrestlemania will be, with a noticeable amount of grumbling each year. Fans are so used to seeing the promotional highlights over the past few decades that they somehow don’t realize that even Wrestlemania has to have a mid card that will pace the show. Dino Bravo vs. Ronnie Garvin in a three-minute bathroom break match was on the same line-up as the memorable main event when the Mega Powers exploded at Wrestlemania 5 over three decades ago. Everyone remembers the stellar Bret vs. Owen bout and the iconic ladder match from 1994, but not many people talk about the rather pointless 35-second Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb match. Some fans have the misguided notion that unless Andre The Giant comes down from heaven to make a cameo that the event is underwhelming. On the other hand, when the ticket prices are insane, and you’re asking the audience to pay $30 for the ESPN app after the pay-per-views were a fraction of the price for more than a decade on other platforms, viewers are going to have higher expectations.
I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong answer, but rather to point out, in the social media age, there’s always going to be at least a portion of the audience with a noticeable level of criticism.
The show opened with the anticipated Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi bout, and while it wasn’t a squash match, it was definitely one-sided. Oba beat Brock in under five minutes and was showcased as a major star in the process. It goes without saying that Femi will have to continue to develop as a performer, as far as selling, timing, etc. but as far as a promotional push, the office put him over about as strong as someone can be in 2026. Keep in mind, Lesnar has the cache of being pushed as one of the most dominate guys in the history of the company since he stepped back into the pro wrestling world in 2012, and that credibility was used to shine Femi. Oba nailed the power bomb and got a definitive victory over the former WWE and UFC heavyweight champion. Post-match, we might’ve seen why Brock gave all he could to put over his opponent, as he took off his gloves and boots, signaling his apparent retirement from sports entertainment. At 48, Lesnar was undoubtedly near the end of his career, and the WWE had to find ways to refresh him at times because of how dominate that he was used prior, but I have to say, I was surprised that this looked like a legitimate retirement. I’m not sure there’s anything left for Brock to do, as far as new ground to cover, but he still could’ve drawn money on a semi-regular basis as well. Again, given the way he was pushed and promoted throughout the 2010s, he has the name value to be plugged into a scenario when needed. Lesnar’s legacy is complicated, not only for the way he abruptly left the business a year and a half into his tenure on WWE television before he found a level of successful in the UFC and then eventually returned to the WWE after eight years away from the company, but also the accusations of the Janel Grant lawsuit. What Brock did or didn’t know about Grant being an unwilling participant in the Vince McMahon affair are questions that the public doesn’t have the answer to so it’s difficult to have any guesses about who Lesnar is outside of the ring. However, he was undoubtedly a top drawing card for WWE more or less his entire career, putting him in a very rare category.
Obviously, very few wrestlers stay retired, but when I saw Lesnar get emotional as he left his boots in the ring, and the equally emotional embrace with Paul Heyman, it certainly looked like he has finished his pro wrestling career. The only reason for Brock to “break character” so to speak with such emotion would be if he’s actually hanging up his boots. As I said, Oba will have to continue to develop, but considering that he’s 27, the WWE could have a potential main event star for more than a decade by the time he’s ready for the main event scene in a few years.
The ladder match was the car crash segment and it was great stuff. It was wild, entertaining, and exactly what the office was looking for when they put a portion of the broadcast on the ESPN network. As I said about the simulcast yesterday, I’m not sure the “preview” on either night prompted more subscriptions to the ESPN app, but I can see the reasoning behind it. Rey Mysterio getting launched over the ropes as he and Rusev crashed through the ladder was worrisome. Don’t get me wrong, Rey is one of my favorite performers of all time, and he’s one of the nicest wrestlers I’ve ever met. I say this because with the recent injuries that he had, as well as the extensive history of injuries, I sincerely think he should consider retirement so that he can get the recognition that he deserves rather than an injury putting an end to his career. Je’Von Evans hanging onto the belt when the ladder was taken from underneath him was an example of the risk/reward ratio that often becomes a topic in the sport. His tumble to the canvas looked nasty but thankfully, he was okay. However, it should be noted that he took that risk at the biggest event on the calendar. The destroy onto the ladder from Penta to JD McDonagh looked brutal. Eventually, Penta was able to get the belt to retain it.
The more abbreviated time given to each match was effective in some places, but hindered the segment during other portions of the show. The IC championship match was an example of something that could’ve been given another five minutes or so to really get to the next level in terms of match quality. These two put together a solid match, but they didn’t get a chance to get into second gear with only seven minutes to work with. The counters and sequences were excellent, but it seemed rushed with the abrupt ending. The Sami Zayn character was booked into a corner since he got the heat for the office’s decision to have Carmelo Hayes drop the title ahead of Wrestlemania. At this point, Sami will probably have to turn heel to rejuvenate his status on Smackdown. That being said, putting the title on Trick Williams was still the right decision. Sami is a top notch worker and at this point in his career, he doesn’t need a championship. There are so many different aspects to developing a money-drawing star so Trick or anyone else will have to see how their career evolve over time, but as of right now, it looks like Williams, at the very least, has the potential to be a major contributor to the organization in the future. He has the look, the mic skills, and the athleticism to became one of the guys that will have to move up the ranks to replenish the roster as more of the aging legends step away from the business.
The street fight between Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor was very well done. Again, they only had 10 minutes for this segment so it was still somewhat rushed as far as the set up for different spots, but everything they did worked. More than anything, you can see how Dominik has evolved into the role of a WWE star, as he looked more natural in the ring a few years ago, and kept pace with the longtime veteran, Balor. It was what you’d expect from a WWE street fight so it wasn’t anything over the top, but as mentioned, everything was solid. Finn Balor got the victory with a double stomp through a table.
The WWE Women’s championship match saw Rhea Ripley win the title after Iyo Sky made the save from the interference of the heels that were trying to assist Jade Cargill. However, the result was secondary, as this was probably the best match of Cargill’s career. Given that Jade looks like and carries herself like a total star, she wasn’t going to be brought into the WWE as a secondary figure when she made the jump from All Elite Wrestling a few years ago. Still, the experience gap was noticeable and after she was written off of television for a while to polish her skills at the Performance Center, there was some speculation that she might not have the in-ring skills to make the transition to the biggest stage of the WWE. That’s not a knock on her athleticism, but rather to point out the reality of the situation. She was put on AEW television when she was still very new to the sport and usually only worked very short matches during the three years she was under contract there. To make the jump to the WWE, where the scripting rightly shielded her weaknesses at first through tag team match, she was going to have to evolve as a performer, and based on the bout at Wrestlemania, she has done that. The series of counters that they did prior to the finish built some draw before Ripley got the pin. Jade looked like she was on par with one of the top female stars as her opponent so Cargill deserves credit for the performance. A side note, Ripley mentioned publicly that she’s dealing with an eating disorder so all the best to her to make a complete recovery. She’s a true star, and by all accounts is very kind to fans during meet and greets so hopefully she can continue to be as healthy as possible.
The main event was something that I wasn’t really invested in one way or the other in terms of the result. CM Punk is a disingenuous jerk, albeit a talented jerk, and Roman Reigns held the title for more than four years so I don’t think enough time has passed that he would need another time run. That said, this was a brilliant WWE style main event that built organic drama as the advantage tilted back and fourth. At the biggest stage, this is the type of performance that you want from the main event guys. Furthermore, as much as CM Punk was pigeon-holed as a guy that was just a rung underneath the main event of Wrestlemania for the majority of his career by management, he proved the office wrong with this performance. CM Punk is a bonafide star at the top level and even at 47, he can still work to the main event caliber. As I said, I don’t think Roman needed the belt again, especially after such an extended run that concluded just two years ago, but again, his performance was tremendous in this bout. Roman nailed Punk with the spear to win the championship.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
