The Retirement of 'The Animal'

Dave Bautista. Remember him? He's the guy who left WWE last year to go and be a success in Hollywood based off his role in surprise smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy. He's the man who is arguably a bigger wrestler-turned-actor than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson at this point, because really how many legitimately enjoyable and successful films has Rocky starred in and how many does he have lined up? Big Dave's been cast in a Bond film, that's pretty big business.

But I'm not writing this to directly compare Batista and The Rock. That wouldn't be especially interesting and there would be no purpose to it. The subject here is whether or not we've seen the last of 'The Animal' in a wrestling ring.

"Don't like me? Thumbs down!"

The short, lazy answer is "No." The slightly less short but no less lazy answer is "No, obviously not." The reason for this is that Batista is a pal of Triple H, a guy very high up in the WWE decision-making and creative process. On top of that there's the fact that WWE always enjoys cross-promoting with mainstream stars, and to them there is no star more mainstream than a Hollywood actor. Having one who is known just as well in the wrestling as in the acting world is an added bonus, as is having one who can actually get into the ring and wrestle a match under their own steam without being carried by someone. Which is an ability Batista has¹.

But this doesn't necessarily mean Batsy will wrestle again. There's a difference between making an appearance to promote a movie and maybe Batista bombing a mid-card act and returning to the ring for the sort of short term run we saw last year. The former gets word out about a product that needs promoting whilst actually going on the road to wrestle every night sees guys run the risk of injury, which can hamper the more important (and highly-paid) acting work.

I enjoyed Batista's run last year. The guy's never been great in the ring but 2014 saw him participate in some enjoyable matches, most obviously the triple threat with Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton at WrestleMania and the two Evolution versus Shield bouts at Extreme Rules and Payback. He showed he could contribute to excellent matches if he was booked correctly and his weaknesses were hidden. More importantly he absolutely nailed his role as a man who thinks he's a big shot because he's been in films. He did some career best work once he was allowed to fully embrace his status as a heel. Plus there were the Bluetista and Wave Batista memes, things which will end up, rightly or wrongly (but, y'know, definitely rightly) as highlights of Batista's career.

It's these memes that actually make me think Batista will never return for anything beyond one or two matches at a time. They demonstrate how wrestling fans are willing to turn Batista into a figure of fun and ridicule. The guy doesn't actually need wrestling. He is, as mentioned above, a star and a success without wrestling now, and as such he has no reason to put up with wrestling fans having fun at his expense. It could be argued that that's part of the job of a heel but Batista wasn't actually meant to be a heel last year.

By all accounts Batista signed on for a return on the understanding that he'd win the Royal Rumble and be the fiery babyface to end Randy Orton's world title reign at WrestleMania. I don't imagine he'd be holding a grudge against fans for "costing" him a title reign, but I do think the treatment he received will have made me think a little harder about future returns. Wrestling seems to be something that he still enjoys but it's not something he needs for a living or, for that matter, to get people to go and see the films he's in.

If I had to put money on it I'd say we'll see Batista return and wrestle again. He's been very open about his desire for a WrestleMania retirement match. While he may not get his wish of retiring opposite Triple H I do think he's a big enough and important enough name for WWE to do a retirement match with him on 'The Grandest Stage of Them All'. A full time run seems unlikely though. Batista simply doesn't need it. Which is a shame because 2014 showed that there's plenty of mileage left in Batista's narcissistic egomaniac character yet.

***

¹ Insert your own joke about Batista's ability here.

Daniel Bryan's Achilles' Neck

If you watched Extreme Rules you'll know that Daniel Bryan didn't defend the Intercontinental championship as planned. He was officially pulled from his match against Bad News Barrett hours before the show aired because he wasn't medically cleared to compete. The issue was with a concussion, nagging neck issues or a knee problem, depending on your source of choice (personally I think the neck thing seems likeliest). Almost the exact same thing happened to Bryan last year. After winning the WWE championship at WrestleMania XXX he made one pay-per-view defence (against Kane, of all people) before being pulled from action by WWE's medical staff. He eventually vacated the championship and took time off for neck surgery and rehab.

That history has repeated itself, and so soon, will surely prompt WWE to assess the way they use Bryan, which is a shame because he's a dedicated, talented man who worked hard for years to make it to WWE and gain acceptance with their audience (and management team). The more he's afflicted by health problems the more it seems that the wrestling style that initially got him signed is catching up to him. It's a sad, ironic twist worthy of the finest wrestling storyline.

This man has had no luck with
title reigns over the last two years.

Obviously the right thing has been done by Bryan in the short term. He's been taken off TV and will presumably return only when he's healthy. Ultimately though, a long term solution is required to this problem. The fact that Bryan has been having these issues, on and off, for well over a year and that they resurfaced so soon after his return from a lengthy layoff indicates that there's something serious that needs addressing. While part of the problem can probably be taken as Bryan pushing himself too hard and coming back earlier than he probably should have done the issue is very likely something that's going to keep cropping up regardless of how hard Bryan pushes himself.

There are several options open to WWE. They can send Bryan home for months, possibly even years, and not use him as a wrestler again until he's passed the strictest medical tests. They can stop using him as a wrestler and keep him on TV in an authority figure role. They can lighten his schedule, giving him more time off to rest his knackered body. Or they can take the incredibly extreme route and release him from his contract.

The first option would be best for Bryan. He'd be getting paid to get himself healthy. Were he to be released (an extreme option, as I'll discuss below) he'd almost certainly begin taking non-WWE bookings at the first opportunity, which would not help whatever his current medical problems are. But if he remained under WWE contract he wouldn't be able to do this. WWE would benefit from this too, keeping access to a popular performer for their various media efforts and looking like a benevolent outfit. They'd look like scumbags if they released him.

The lengthy layoff doesn't seem likely though, not least because Bryan will apparently be cleared within a few months and is keen to get back. Only the incredibly useless or the incredibly useful get paid to sit at home by WWE. Look no further than JTG for a useless example and Shawn Michaels for a useful one. Bryan is clearly closer to the HBK end of the spectrum but I don't think he's quite useful enough to earn an extended rest break. There's also the fact that he may not want one and request a release if WWE stopped booking him.

Keeping him on TV and recasting him as a commissioner, commentator or manager would encourage Bryan to rest and keep a bigger name on television but it wouldn't play to his strengths. Bryan can handle the occasional lengthy promo but he couldn't spout the plot points needed for an authority role. Plus that scene's flooded with better suited talent at present, most notably Triple H and Steph McMahon.

The idea of Bryan as a manager anywhere in wrestling is ridiculous. He could probably make a good colour commentator for a company like Ring of Honor (especially when you consider his status in that promotion) but he'd be lost in the role in WWE. And again there's the issue of there being no vacancies anyway.

Releasing him would be, as noted, extreme. WWE have released one prominent star in relatively recent memory: Kurt Angle was cut loose in 2006 when he refused to take time off or go to rehab to combat his neck and addiction problems. This is about the closest parallel I can think of but it's still not especially strong. Nothing indicates Bryan has turned down help and he's definitely not coping with the addictions Angle had. There's also the fact that even though his stock had fallen by the late summer of '06 Angle was still probably more highly regarded by the WWE office than D-Bry is now.

The biggest difference in the two situations is WWE itself. In 2006 WWE was only just getting into the swing of drug testing. It was years away from being as coma aware a company as it is now. In other words, it wasn't a company as concerned with presenting itself as caring and considerate as it is now. This may sound cynical and to be honest it probably is but I don't believe the majority of WWE's management team care overly about the health of their in-ring performers because so much of the way the company operates contradicts that claim. But they do care about being seen to care and a by-product of that is that working conditions have improved, for the appearance of the thing as much as anything else.

All of which is a bit of a tangent. The bottom line is that I think it would take some very serious and unpredictable exchanges for WWE to reach the point where they're releasing Daniel Bryan, freeing him up to head to New Japan to get kicked in the head by Shinsuke Nakamura.

Personally I think the best thing WWE could do with Daniel Bryan right now would be to put him in a tag team. This would have several benefits. Firstly it would cut down on his in-ring time without affecting his TV time or house show schedule. It would encourage him to work a safer, or at least less spot-heavy, style. It would give the tag division a boost, which could tie in nicely to the recent great work done by New Day and the Brass Ring Club. Finally teaming with Bryan would be a good way to elevate someone.

I think the ideal candidate for a D-Bry partner is Dolph Ziggler. He wrestles at a similarly swift pace, he's every bit as popular, he could take a beating to set up a hot tag to 'The People's Elixir', and there are entertaining (to me, if nobody else) team names in Team DBZ or The DB-DZ Connection waiting to be used. No, strictly speaking 'The Show Off' doesn't actually need elevating but together I think Bryan and Ziggler could make the tag team championship mean more than it has in years. That, along with the health benefits for Bryan, makes it worth trying, in my opinion.

On Confidence and The Streak

As you’ll probably know, Vince McMahon appeared on a special edition of The Steve Austin Show last month. Besides a comment about the locker room being unmotivated, which seemed intended to bait the locker room into “proving him wrong”, a particularly backward way of thinking in 2014, one of the most interesting comments Vince made pertained to his decision to end The Undertaker’s Streak. He defended the decision by saying that he looked at the roster and didn’t feel there would be anybody ready to convincingly end The Streak within a two year timeframe. He went with Lesnar, at least in part, because he felt he was the only choice available.

Poor old Undi'.

It’s an odd sentiment for Vince to express. Two years is a long time in professional wrestling, especially when it comes to establishing a top star. There are plenty of examples of guys who went from nothing out of the ordinary to huge stars within that time frame.

Most obviously there’s Hulk Hogan. He returned to the WWF in late 1983 after several years away. Previously he’d been an unspectacular mid-card guy. Less than a month after his return ‘The Hulkster’ won his first WWF championship. By the time the first WrestleMania rolled around in March 1985 he was the man the promotion revolved around.

Then there’s Steve Austin. His famed 3:16 speech at the King of the Ring 1996 captured people’s attention and started a chain of events that would see him become the hottest act in the company by the same time the following year. By late ’97 it was clear he was the main man in the company, his first world title win at WrestleMania XIV was merely his official inauguration.

That’s two of the most important names in the history of the company who went from being just a face in the crowd to the man the company revolved around within two years. The point is that WWE can turn the right guy into a star within that time if they put their minds to it. They have more than enough talented guys to be able to have had someone ready to defeat ‘Taker by WrestleMania 32.

Even if that weren’t the case, they still had John Cena (who, for the record, is another guy who was clearly the hottest act in the company within two years of the decision being made to get behind him). Cena could have convincingly ended The Streak. In fact before ‘Mania XXX I was sure if anyone was going to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania it would be Cena. He’s not only the top act but he’s a guy WWE loves giving accolades to. It just seemed natural, and for Vince to say Lesnar was his only real choice while Cena was still around is flat out incorrect.  

Things could have been different had the chairman had some faith in his roster, and his own ability to elevate people. Had Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose been given a sustained push and protected from uninspired segments and feuds they could have been ready. The same goes for Bray Wyatt, especially if he’d beaten Cena at ‘Mania XXX instead of losing to him. Daniel would have been accepted as someone significant enough to end The Streak last year. The treatment Seth Rollins has actually had would have been ideal for prepping someone as a Streak-ender. And any of these guys would have benefited more from the accolade than Lesnar. They’d have stuck around longer too.

To Vacate or Not to Vacate (That is the "Yes"tion)

In one of the most spectacular instances of bad timing to ever hit the wrestling business (and there have been some doozies) it was announced on the May 12 RAW that Daniel Bryan has sustained a neck injury and will require surgery. It’s a dreadful shame. An eight month story centring on him capturing the WWE championship and proving he belongs on top had culminated at WrestleMania XXX on April 6 and D-Bry had been poised to enjoy the lengthy run as champion, top face and top worker that people had been gagging for. His time at the top of the company has been snatched away by bad luck before it really picked up steam.

Well, that’s one way of looking at it. Another is that a major injury seemed inevitable. Bryan pushes himself hard in every match he has and works a more physical style than many within the company. He’d suffered from concussions and various other medical layoffs in the first three months of the year. That seemed attributable to a handful of specific performances but looking back it’s hard not to see it as Bryan’s body sending him a message. Specifically that it was in need of a break.

Bryan looking understandably glum.

What will be done about Bryan’s championship reign is anyone’s guess. His neck will be operated on at some point this week and he will be away for a currently unspecified amount of time. Neck injuries generally sideline wrestlers for quite a while. It’s not impossible, going on past instances, that Bryan could be out for over a year. But equally it’s been said that he could be back as soon as Money in the Bank on June 29.

By the time the April 19 RAW rolls around WWE will know how the surgery went and have been given a tentative timeframe for their champion’s return. That will obviously determine the future of his reign. If Bryan is told by doctors that he can be back in time for Money in the Bank then I think he’ll keep the gold. That would see him sitting out only Payback and create an opportunity to make Money in the Bank a particularly noteworthy affair.

Since the 2011 show, the one with the whole CM Punk winning the title and walking out thing, Money in the Bank has become WWE’s number four show of the year (behind WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, rankings fans). The 2014 edition was already going to feel like a big show because the last three have been very good cards and because the titular ladder bout means more now that there’s only one world strap on offer. Throwing in the return to action of a popular champion from a neck injury could help Money in the Bank become even more must-see. WWE are experts at hyping stuff like that. It’s all too easy to imagine Michael Cole talking up Bryan’s neck injury as “potentially career ending” alongside his usual, less logical, comments.

Should WWE be told by the resident medical experts that Bryan is unlikely to be back in time for Money in the Bank then I can imagine the decision being made to crown a new champion. As popular, talented and useful as Bryan is WWE cannot wait for him indefinitely. A month and a half is about the limit they can go with an inactive champion. After that they’ll need someone new to structure storylines around.

In that situation Money in the Bank would again benefit. Instead of playing host to the comeback match of ‘The Bearded One’ it would become the event at which a new champion is crowned. The option of teasing that the Money in the Bank winner may cash in on whoever the new champion turns out to be would be open to WWE too.

Personally I hope that Bryan is back in action soon enough to keep the championship. He could win it again. He could even have another great feel-good moment as he does it, but it’s hard to imagine it being as memorable or meaningful as WrestleMania XXX. Bryan has two years of ever increasing popularity behind him now. An extended break, or another title vacation, could cause him to lose momentum. Of course it could actually increase his popularity, but that’s not something that can be relied on.

I’d say vacating the belt would harm Bryan’s credibility but honestly I don’t think it will. Credibility is not a major factor with most WWE fans. The ones that do value it are already likely to be diehard supporters of the former ‘American Dragon’ anyway.

I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for Bryan to be on course for a comeback at Money in the Bank. And that someone who isn’t Kane is chosen as his first opponent back. Go with any member of Evolution and the ‘Mania storyline that was prematurely dropped instead. It would be a far more natural, and significant, match to return to.

Thank You, Warrior

I’ve avoided writing anything about the Ultimate Warrior’s death until now for two reasons. Firstly I knew there would be something addressing the issue on RAW and I wanted that as guidance. Secondly, I’m not that familiar with Warrior’s career. He was long gone before I started watching wrestling. Even his WCW stint had ended. I was familiar with him only from a VHS of SummerSlam 1992 that was in the house for some reason (even now nobody knows where it came from) and from a visit to a friend’s house in what was probably the very early nineties. A lengthy post documenting his career just didn’t seem appropriate.

While I’ve never been a fan of the Warrior and Hogan approach to wrestling there are some Warrior matches I’ve enjoyed via YouTube. Both his SummerSlam outings opposite Rick Rude are enjoyable, as is his WrestleMania VII encounter with ‘Macho King’ Randy savage. Meanwhile, if taken as angles as opposed to matches, there’s value in his Intercontinental title winning outing against the Honky Tonk Man and his weasel suit bout with Bobby Heenan. And the WrestleMania VI match, which famously saw Ultimate Warrior hand Hulk Hogan his first clean loss in years, is entertaining if taken on its own terms. In fact I’d say it’s more enjoyable than the vaunted Michaels v Hart iron man encounter from WrestleMania XII.

Warrior the man is someone I think a lot of people got a hint of during his too brief return to WWE. He was clearly touched by the positive emotional response he got from the fans and his peers at the Hall of Fame, WrestleMania and the April 7 RAW. He was just as obviously proud of his two daughters, and it was touching to hear him tell them that they were his greatest accomplishment.

His promo on RAW, while disjointed by today’s standards, was a passionate speech about the values of working hard and self-belief. These are themes that appear to have been constants throughout Warrior’s career and life. It was nice to hear a wrestler humbly putting over the importance of the audience and providing encouragement to the locker room. His comments on how a man is remembered are undoubtedly one of the eeriest things to ever happen in wrestling. They’re true too.

Warrior’s return to WWE showed us that he was a man worth respecting for the values and morals he lived his life by. No, he wasn’t the best wrestler, but he appears to have been a good man and father and he provided inspiration for many wrestlers that we all enjoy today, both in and out of WWE. His impact on the business, specifically Vince McMahon’s company, was significant. Not in terms of his body of work, but in terms of his motivation and passion. I’m incredibly pleased he got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame when he did. It clearly meant a lot to him and allowed him to be remembered as he deserves.

21-1

On March 24 1991 The Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII. He defeated Jimmy Snuka in the show’s seventh match. Twenty-three years later he suffered his first loss at the annual event, falling to Brock Lesnar in one of the evening’s most heavily anticipated matches. In recent years The Undertaker’s Streak has become a big part of ‘Mania. It was something WWE could market just as much as any championship bout or meeting of icons.

The annual defence of The Streak was a big thing. ‘Taker’s imposing stature, coupled with his length of service in the company and supernatural trappings made him (and indeed still makes him) a unique performer. He has an aura unlike any other wrestler there’s ever been. The Streak became part of the magic of the character, something ‘The dead Man’ was known for as much as his eerie mood lighting powers or supposed zombie origins.

It helped that WWE took care of The Streak from around 2001, helping to make it appear something special in wrestling and a meaningful achievement. Undertaker’s opponents were selected more carefully, and for the most part a good job was done keeping ‘The Phenom’ linked to big names at the show. The challenges mounted by Ric Flair, Edge, Batista, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels (twice), and Triple H (thrice) were all exciting affairs that added to the aura that accompanied the feat of The Streak, and did more than balance out less than stellar challenges from Mark Henry and Big Show and A-Train (the latter two at the same time in a handicap match).

The dream is over.

I never thought The Streak would end. This wasn’t through a desperate urge to see ‘The Last Outlaw’ ride off into the sunset (or should that be moonlit night?) with his greatest accomplishment intact. It was based on a feeling that WWE would want to bestow the honour of a lengthy undefeated record on a man who has arguably been their most loyal in-ring performer for well over two decades.

I certainly didn’t think Brock Lesnar had a chance at ending The Streak. The build-up to the match had been subpar, with Undertaker outwitting and dominating ‘The Pain’ in all but one of their encounters (the March 31 RAW). In hindsight it’s possible that this was a deliberate ploy to help convince people that this year’s Streak match would be business as usual, although I hope not because that would indicate WWE set out to short change their fans. Not that they’ve never done that before, of course.

It was more than just a ponderous build that had me convinced ‘Taker would slay ‘The Beast’. There were still men for him to defend The Streak against. Daniel Bryan could have presented a credible challenge to The Streak, and if WWE set their minds to it Bray Wyatt and Roman reigns could both have been ready by next year. The challenger I’ve mentioned many times before was John Cena. The match would have had such a great atmosphere: the most heavily pushed, unstoppable star of the company for well over a decade challenging the most impressive record in the business. It was the one match that WWE could have convinced people beforehand might not go ‘Taker’s way. It was the one thing Cena, the man who’s done it all, had not accomplished. That alone would have convinced people he was the most credible threat to The Streak ever.

These matches can still happen, of course. Just not for The Streak. It’s still too early to say whether or not it’s a good or a bad thing that it’s gone. Certainly WWE have deprived themselves of a key feature at WrestleMania but they of course knew that before the match took place. Presumably they have a draw in mind to replace it. It’s possible the feeling was that Undertaker’s career was in danger of becoming overshadowed by The Streak. While it’s clearly the thing for which he’ll be most remembered he has done other things in the company. WWE wanting to protect the legacy of one of their biggest ever stars seems utterly plausible.

'The Conqueror'.

And this is a boon for Lesnar, of course. It becomes a bragging right for the former UFC champion and in theory makes him a more interesting man to watch for WWE fans. Certainly ending The Streak is a feat nobody else will get to have, and it lends something to Lesnar’s “big box office draw” appeal. It’s a questionable decision, what with Lesnar not being a man fully committed to WWE’s long term future: his current contract ends shortly after next year’s ‘Mania and even if he re-signs it will only be another short, limited dates deal. The accomplishment would have been better going to a younger guy who’s going to be on TV to benefit from it for another ten years. But I can’t argue that Lesnar is a credible winner: his credentials make that impossible to deny.

I suppose some space should be dedicated to hypothesising as to why The Streak ended. I’ve already mentioned that WWE may simply have wanted to divorce Undertaker from The Streak. Another popular theory is that Undertaker was simply too knackered to continue and felt it was time. I’m not convinced by this.

Undertaker wrestles one match a year and there’s nothing in his repertoire that’s going to injure him too badly. The topé could simply be dropped. The Tombstone requires some strength but is more about precision, and it’s more risky to the person taking the move than Undertaker himself. The person taking the choke slam does most of the work. And the Hell’s Gate is a rather fancy rest hold that has the benefit of having been built up as a match ender. More to the point ‘Taker seemingly felt so good last year that he stuck around and wrestled a few matches on RAW and SmackDown against The Shield. Yes, he left because he suffered an injury and he has years of them accumulated but I think the man has it in him to wrestle his current schedule (the lightest realistically possible) for another year or two.

What’s so interesting at this point is that ‘Taker’s future is so unclear. Does his loss of The Streak mean he will retire? That’s the assumption many, including myself, have gone under for years. Will he return to TV for a rematch with Brock Lesnar at some point? His absence from the post-‘Mania RAW, despite being backstage, makes me think he’ll be gone for a while. He’ll definitely be back. But until the return happens we won’t know if it’s to get back in the ring or enter the Hall of Fame.

And somehow that feels right. The Undertaker, the closest thing wrestling has to a mythic figure, should not be someone we should know inside out. Mystery has always been a crucial part of the character. No matter what his future holds that's something that should never change.

That RAW Recap 07.04.14

WrestleMania weekend ends not with WrestleMania but with the RAW after it. ‘Mania provides the hype, spectacle and closure while RAW sets things up for the future. It’s just as important, perhaps more important, than ‘The Granddaddy of Them All’ because it’s used as a tool to prepare new things as opposed to revelling in its own grandiose existence. It has developed into being amongst WWE’s most important annual shows by virtue of exploring the fallout from ‘Mania.

The post-‘Mania RAW has also become known for its rowdy crowds that react to things the way they like, not necessarily the way WWE desires. Which is important to note, because these crowds have been important in the ascent of Daniel Bryan over the last two years. It was such a crowd that firmly established the “Yes!” chants as a thing the night after WrestleMania XXVIII and, more than that, embraced Bryan as a star based on his ability and personality. Without those reactions he wouldn’t be on top now. Without those reactions it’s entirely possible Batista would be the WWE champion now.

Worth waiting for?

Daniel Bryan referred to this in his show opening speech on Monday’s RAW. Before that we were treated to the video package that had preceded his match with Triple H the previous evening, which was just as good a second time, and over a minute of “Yes!” chants from the crowd. After acknowledging that it’s harder to lift his arms to chant while holding two belts, something the audience ate up, Bryan heard “You deserve it!” chants. He told the crowd that he deserves it only a bit and that we’re the ones who really deserve it.

Then he was joined by Triple H, entering to his bad guy ‘King of Kings’ theme. Trips didn’t get into the ring because he didn’t want to hurt Bryan (ahhhh… the old “I’m scared what I’ll do to you” routine, it’s a classic), instead standing on the apron to inform Bryan that he still intended to destroy the Yes Movement. Bryan held his belts up in ‘The Game’s’ face and led a thunderous “Yes!” chant.

Tripper said Bryan’s moment would not last the night then booked himself into a title match in the main event. That was received well by the crowd: they wanted to see Bryan give Triple H another good kicking.

After the first break we got some more Triple H. He and Stephanie stood backstage discussing the end of Bryan’s Yes Movement. Then Batista walked in, followed seconds later by Randy Orton. They wanted title shots against Bryan for themselves. Batista said he’d earned a singles match for the title by winning the Rumble (which isn’t actually the case) and Orton reasoned that as the former champion he was entitled to a rematch. They were both peeved that Tripper had given himself first crack at Bryan. The boss soothed their egos and said he’d get them both world championship matches in the future, then booked them for a tag title match against the Usos.

No mention was made by any of the three that they’d been involved in a feud the week before, cheerfully overlooking Bryan and expecting to battle amongst themselves for the title. This was particularly incongruous considering the knocks Batista had sent Stephanie’s way. In fairness the rest of the show, this thread in particular, was pretty well put together, so a relatively minor aspect like this can be overlooked. The union did ultimately make sense, and that’s what counts.

The first match of the night was a six man tag pitting Big E, Sheamus and John Cena against The Wyatt Family. You know it’s a packed show when Cena’s in an opening six man tag. The bout was okay but nothing special. There was no real reason for it to be happening beyond Cena’s issues with Bray. Shaymo and E had had zero troubles with The Wyatt Family and none were created by this. Unless of course you think Bray pinning E after Sister Abigail was done to set up an Intercontinental title match, which I don’t. It was an excuse to get Cena and Wyatt together and Big E and ‘Great White’ on to the show.

Between the first two matches we got the first of two vignettes for Bo Dallas. They had a motivational speaker vibe to them, playing into his gimmick of acting like a 1980s babyface who thinks he’s adored but is actually hated. I hope this run goes better for Bo than the one he got last year did. So much can be done with his deluded character.

Match two was a mixed tag match pitting Emma and a bearded Santino against Summer Rae and Faaaaaan… daaaaaan… goooooo. WrestleMania and the RAW after it are the two nights of the year where Fandango is massively over (thanks to his entrance music) so I’m pleased he got something to do on the show. The match was very short. The ladies tagged in almost instantly and Emma submitted Summer with an Emma Lock. Santino and Emma celebrated awkwardly together afterwards.

Hour two started with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman sauntering to the ring to gloat about ending The Undertaker’s Streak the previous evening. Heyman spent several minutes hyping up ‘The Beast’ as someone truly remarkable within wrestling and sports in general for accomplishing things nobody else can. It was a necessary speech because the whole point of having Lesnar snap The Streak is to turn him into an unstoppable force of nature, but I zoned out halfway through. Heyman’s Lesnar-themed promos have all started to sound alike. Lesnar is an impressive athlete with a main event aura to him but I can only hear the same accomplishments reeled off so many times.

After the commercial break we got another vignette, this one the first of two for Adam Rose and his Erotic Express. I was surprised to see him getting promoted to RAW because the character only appeared on NXT a month or so ago. I’m pleased though. Adam Rose is a fun character, exactly the sort of thing RAW needs. Hopefully a call-up for Adam Rose is also a call-up for Bowler Hat Guy, Masked Bodysuit Guy, and The Spartan. The gimmick will only work if he keeps his beefy entourage.

The evening’s third match was the tag team title match. Orton and ‘The Animal’ got their own separate entrances. I was disappointed they didn’t wander out to the Evolution theme. For two guys who’d hated one another the night before they looked very chummy as they huddled in a corner chatting as the Usos shimmied their way down to ringside. Maybe they were griping about WWE’s recent ban on baby oil.

Poor Jimmy (that's Jimmy).

The match went to a double count out within a few minutes. Batista and ‘The Viper’ battered Jimmy and Jey at ringside, Orty hitting his draping DDT off a barrier and Batista hitting a Batista bomb onto some steel steps. The point was clearly to show how dangerous Orton and Batista are when working together and to hint at a permanent union as part of a reformed Evolution.

That match was followed by the return of Rob Van Dam. He faced Damien Sandow in what is best described as a typical RVD match. He did some of his popular spots. The crowd popped for them and chanted his name. It didn’t take long for ‘Mr Monday Night’ to hit a Five Star frog splash for the win. I’ve no idea what they’re going to do with him now he’s back. No obvious storylines present themselves. At least not featuring performers WWE wants us to care about.

After another break Rey Mysterio came to the ring. He got a polite reaction. At this point it’s pretty clear the memories of Mysterio’s good work have been erased by years of bad knee related subpar performers and lengthy layoffs. I still think he should conserve his energy for one short and final meaningful run culminating in a match at SummerSlam or WrestleMania. In 2014 throwaway matches on RAW do nothing for him, WWE, or fans.

Mysterio was wrestling Bad News Barrett, who entered wearing a luxurious cape. For the record this was the first televised match Barrett has wrestled under the Bad News moniker. He started by grabbing a microphone and telling Rey he had some bad news. The fans loved that but were less keen on Rey peppering him with punches before said news could be delivered.

Barrett's bad news was that Rey's knees are knackered.

Bad News soon regained control and worked the match as a babyface, a decision at least partly made because there were so many English fans in the crowd. They joined in with his “BOOM!” shouts and chanted both for Bad News Barrett himself and for Eng-ur-land. All of Rey’s moves were met with boos. Bad News got the massively popular win with a Bullhammer elbow. After the match he celebrated by shouting “BOOM!” and doing the overhead double clap that Scotty Riggs used to do. So that’s something.

Another break was followed by Lana coming out to the stage where she introduced Alexander Rusev for his debut. They’re very clearly doing a Cold War thing with these two, and an aspect of it that’s been overlooked is that Rusev’s name graphic is not just written in Cyrillic but has a grey, understated background and off centre placing on-screens. It’s a small touch but a great one.

Lana's legs. That is all.

‘The Bulgarian Brute’ beat Zack Ryder in a basic match with the camel clutch. Here the move was called the Accolade. The shoulders over the knees application variant Rusev used here used to be known as the Steiner Recliner.

The final hour kicked off with The Ultimate Warrior. He walked out wearing a suit with a gimmicked jacket over it (which had a painting of him on the back) and started by saying “Speak to me, war-yerrrrrrrrrrs!” and snorting. TThe fans ate his act up, bursting into an enthusiastic “Warrior!” chant. He said it was hard for him to find the words to speak so he pulled out a string Warrior mask and put it on. The crowd were less into that, regarding it as the strange act that it was.

“Well then, you shut up Warrior and let meeeeee do the talking,” were the next words out of Warrior’s mouth. Yes, WWE booked a schizophrenic breakdown for the RAW after WrestleMania. He talked, in a roundabout, Warrior-esque way, about the fans helping to make WWE stars what they are. The audience didn't seem to follow all the ins and outs of what Warrior said, but they got the gist and gave Warrior a rousing ovation as he left the arena.

Out next was AJ Lee. She continued her CM Punk tribute act by talking about having held the Divas championship for 295 days and referring to herself as the best Divas in the world. Yeah, AJ trolled the RAW crowd into giving her a CM Punk chant. Once that had died down some new music hit and Paige walked out, in her ring gear natch, and stepped into the ring. The audience chanted her name (I was a bit disappointed they didn’t go with a “Zebra Kid!” chant), demonstrating why WWE had chosen to have debut on this episode: she was a known quantity to the diehard fans in attendance and was ensured a good reaction. That made her RAW debut feel like an event.

Paige said she was just there to congratulate AJ on her win at WrestleMania. AJ told her she didn’t need congratulations and ordered her back to NXT. Then she challenged Paige to a match but Paige said she wasn’t ready. The champ gave her a slap and told her they were having a match and that as a “WrestleMania gift” she’d make it a title match. The crowd exploded at that. They could sense what was coming.

The match was short. AJ immediately attacked Paige, skipped around the ring, and applied the Black Widow. There was an awkward moment where it looked as though Paige was tapping out but in actuality she was just shifting AJ’s weight so she could reverse out of the move and perform her Paige Turner finisher. That got her the three count and the title.

The shot in the arm the Divas division needed.

The audience exploded again. AJ was left to seethe and shriek in the ring as Paige dashed up the aisle looking shocked. I think this was the closest thing on the show to Ziggler’s cash-in last year.

The penultimate segment of the evening saw Hulk Hogan hit the ring to formally present the Andre the Giant memorial trophy to battle royal winner Cesaro. ‘The Hulkster’ started off with a Superdome reference and then briefly chatted about his memories of Andre the Giant. The amount Hogan talks about Andre you’d think they’d been married.

The crowd gave Cesaro a huge reaction when Hogan introduced him, and he was treated to his (Real Americans) entrance theme being hummed. Zeb Colter was with him, which made sense: Cesaro’s association with The Real Americans faction needed to be addressed and Zeb needed to be there for that. In the ring Cesaro (who was sporting a natty black jacket from the Chris Jericho range) posed with the trophy and got congratulated by Hogan.

Before Cesaro could speak Zeb took the microphone and told him he’d take care of things. That got some heat, as did his “Let’s let a real American talk here” comment. Zeb said he’d hand the microphone back to Cesaro after he’d finished so Cesaro could tell the world what kind of guy he is. Then he talked about bringing Cesaro into the fold as a real American, even though he’s a foreigner, and making him a Zeb Colter guy.

Having heard enough Cesaro took the microphone and told him he wasn’t a Zeb Colter guy… he was a Paul Heyman guy. Heyman strode out to “Yes!” chants and proclaimed himself the new advocate for the ‘King of Swing’ Cesaro. Heyman informed Zeb that his services were no longer required and then headed to the commentary table to brief Cole and his crew on how he wanted Cesaro discussed. It took seconds for a ‘King of Swing’ chant to break out and a hashtag to trend on Twitter.

The inevitable Jack Swagger attack wasn't far behind. He not only knocked Cesaro out of the ring but also lobbed the (coveted) trophy to the floor, smashing it into pieces. A break followed and when we returned there was a match in progress between the two former teammates. After a few minutes of back and forth Cesaro went for a Swing on Swagger but Swagger slid under the bottom rope and took a count out loss.

The entire sequence was excellent. Cesaro received a great face reaction that only improved when he was paired up with Heyman. The split of The Real Americans was made to mean something and a match was teased, which is exactly what should happen when a double act splits. Any concerns of a babyface Cesaro being managed by a heel Heyman should be forgotten. WWE have been moving away from such clearly defined terms for a while now (as you can read here). Besides which Heyman is fully capable of working as a heel and a face in different segments of the same show, as he proved here. I already much prefer him with Cesaro than with Lesnar. The latter pairing stems from necessity, Lesnar being unable to articulate his own storylines. The Cesaro pairing comes from WWE actively trying to turn Cesaro into a name player.

Between the final two breaks of the night we saw The Shield backstage with Stephanie McMuffcakes. The Authority were still keen to make use of The Shield even though they’d officially turned face several weeks before and come to blows on various occasions with Director of Operations Corporate Kane. Speaking of Kane he was there too, arguing with ‘The Hounds of Justice’ and insisting that Steph couldn’t trust them. It all ended when Steph got everyone to agree that their goal was to see Triple H leave New Orleans as WWE champion.

Daniel Bryan entered first for the main event, to an explosion of “Yes!” chants. Before Triple H could appear Batista and Orton rocked up and attacked Bryan. Kane strode out and called them off. Bizarrely the commentary team acted as though Kane was going to be the voice of reason call Batista and Orton off in the name of sportsmanship and fair play. The backstage segment we’d just seen, plus the fact that he’s very clearly been allied to The Authority for months and shown no signs of turning on them, told us, and should’ve told Cole, that was not going to be the case. Anyway… ‘The Big Red Machine’ choke slammed Bryan and then Triple H came out for his scheduled match.

‘The Game’ smirked at the crowd when the match began. What he should have done was go for a cover while things were obviously going his way and Bryan was prone, but he’s a heel and heels don’t do that kind of thing. They gloat. At this point I was expecting Tripper to go to pick Bryan up and get caught with a small package for a swift Bryan victory, triggering a brawl in which The Shield would make the save. What we got was better.

The standoff.

Before H3 made a move against Bryan The Shield’s music hit and the trio stormed to the ring through the crowd. They lined up outside the ring on the commentary table side with Batista, Kane and Orton lined up on the aisle side. Triple H looked at the two opposing factions with concern, which only grew when The Shield stepped up on to the ring apron. On the opposite side of the ring The Authority boys responded in kind. Triple H barked for nobody to get into the ring so naturally that happened too, with the two sides staring one another down and Triple H caught in the middle.

Triple H told Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns to stand down and then backed up Kane, Orton and Batista, telling them he didn’t want a war. When he turned around to address The Shield again he got speared by Roman Reigns, triggering a fight between the two factions. Orton and Batista were sent tumbling to the floor then took a pair of dives from Rollins and Ambrose. Back in the ring Reigns powered out of a choke slam attempt and dropped Kane with a Superman punch.

Bryan and The Shield versus The Authority? Sounds good to me.

The Shield surrounded a prone Triple H in the ring. He slowly got to his feet, trying to talk his way out of a hiding and then turned around into Bryan’s running knee. Kane quickly grabbed the boss and pulled him out of the ring, leaving The Shield and Daniel Bryan standing tall as the show went off the air.

The ending was great. It sets up potentially interesting singles and tag matches involving Orton, Batista, Kane, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns, as well as the obvious six man tag match. It kept the Bryan versus Triple H issue alive for another match there too. Longer term it keeps Orton and Batista around as challengers for Bryan (and potentially makes the tag division more interesting if they go for the belts again) and lines Triple H up for singles matches with each member of The Shield. Reigns versus Triple H could be big if teased long enough and held on a larger show. SummerSlam for example.

The rest of the show was great too. Yes there were some throwaway matches but there was nothing actively bad. Crucially even the throwaway material always featured someone over or new. It felt like a fresh start.

The absence of The Undertaker, CM Punk and Sting, all of whom had been talked of as potential surprises for the show, didn’t stop my enjoyment at all. In fact it probably added to it. The only return I would have liked to see was Vince McMahon, and the quality of the show we got without him made his involvement completely unnecessary. WWE was unconcerned with kisses to its past during this RAW. They were all about building for the future. And it looked bright.

WrestleMania XXX review

I realised a few hours before WrestleMania XXX that I was looking forward to the card as a whole more than I could remember looking forward to any WrestleMania card in years. There was the Triple H and Bryan match, the likelihood of Bryan advancing to the main event and winning the title, The Shield having their second united outing on the show, The Streak match I’d wanted to see since Brock Lesnar returned to WWE, and a battle royal I felt had a lot of potential for some fun nonsense.

There were a fair number of storylines with months of work behind them and one of the most passionate wrestling crowds there will be anywhere all year. There was, I thought, a real chance to could end up being one of the more memorable WrestleManias, perhaps even coming close to toppling WrestleMania X7 as my personal fave. Even if that didn’t happen, it could still be a significant event for WWE, a turning point for many.

The evening’s festivities kicked off with a live pre-show, broadcast on YouTube and (presumably) the WWE Network. It featured the four-way tag team title match. Jimmy and Jey Uso defended against RybAxel, Los Matadores and The Real Americans. Everyone was wearing new gear, and Ryback and Axel had new music. 'The Big Guy' was dressed in red and yellow. He must be a Hogan fan. Or maybe he was trying to get people talking about a match between him and 'The Hulkster'. If so it didn’t work. I think his time in the spotlight is done.

This would not be the most impressive part of Cesaro's evening.

The match was fast and wild. Everyone got their moment to shine, as predicted. Even El Torito, who performed a dive (that was only partially botched) from the turnbuckle to a gaggle of bodies outside the ring. A large portion of the match was dedicated to Cesaro and Swagger tangling with the Usos after the other teams had been eliminated. Ultimately 'The Swiss Superman' would fall to a double splash from the champs following an energetic sequence that the live crowd ate up.

After the match Swagger shouted at his teammate and briefly slapped on the ankle lock. Zeb broke that up and demanded the two shake handsa. Cesaro looked to the crowd, who chanted "No!", before taking Swagger down and giving him a Big Swing (something which had only been teased during the match. That got a good reaction, as did his use of the "We the people" pledge before leaving the ring. That's too good and too over to leave with heels or be abandoned altogether. Rejigging it as a Cesaro face thing would be a good call.

There was a pause of a few minutes between the pre-show ending and the event proper beginning. Old footage reworked into a street carnival. The event’s opening video package featured old WrestleMania footage spliced into a street carnival in a New Orleans street. Austin was shown celebrating a title win stood in a throng of people and Shawn Michaels ziplined across the street on a journey to nowhere in particular. It was well done but a bit peculiar. In fairness I don’t know what else they could have done.

After the obligatory nonsense intro from Cole (this year's tag line is “WrestleMania: then, now forever”) Hulk Hogan was introduced. Hogan reminded us he was at the first WrestleMania and that he and Mr T won the main event. He also referred to the Silverdome. Twice, then corrected himself and acknowledged he was actually in the Superdome. He was, he said, distracted thinking about body slamming Andre the Giant. I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s mentioned that since he came back. He seems to think about nothing else.

Ten years ago this could have been quite the draw.

As Hogan talked about WrestleMania Moments™ glass broke and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin marched out to provide another one. The crowd went nuts for him. Austin started out by jokingly referring to the Silverdome before moving on to more serious business of giving the audience the chance to chant "What?" and putting Hogan over for everything he’d accomplished in and done for the business. It was a special moment., certainly one that qualifies as something uniquely “WrestleMania”.

And then The Rock joined them.

'The Great One' got in on the Silverdome gag too, then said that he was in the ring with not just two of the best ever but also his buddy and his childhood hero. Rock cut a decent-if-you-like-that-kinda-thing rhyming couplet promo about babies being conceived because of WrestleMania excitement before the three ran through their segment ending catchphrases and shared a beer. It was a great way to start the show and helped to distinguish WrestleMania as special as a WWE pay-per-view but also special among the ‘Mania pantheon.

Daniel Bryan versus Triple H was the first match of the supercard. The video package for the match focused not just on Bryan's rise to the top and problems with The Authoruty bit also his career-long drive to be the best, with footage from the beginning of his career (taken from an early stint working under a developmental contract) being used very effectively. It did an excellent job of explaining why Daniel Bryan is so well liked by fans. Which proves WWE do understand his appeal. It ended with footage of Bryan leading a "Yes!" chant on RAW as Triple H said there was no Yes Movement.

Is that Jillian Hall?

Stephanie McMahon provided an in-ring introduction for Triple H, who this year combined some of his previous entrances by sitting on a throne wearing a gold mask in front of Castle Grayskull. Three blondes were on hand to help remove his headgear (which Steph seemed fine with) as classical music played. Then he made his usual entrance to Motörhead. The crowd cheered him and chanted his name, respectful of his accomplishments presumably.

Bryan's entrance was less overblown. He simply came out in a T-shirt with a towel and yessed his way down the aisle. The crowd helped make it feel special though. They were really into him and a sea of Yes placards could be seen when he stepped into the ring.

After an electric flurry in the opening moments the pace slowed, Bryan taking the initiative and out wrestling 'The Game'. They headed out of the ring fairly quickly, D-Bry leaping off the top rope to take out the COO. Trips took control with an arm bar takedown on the announce desk, then working over the already injured arm. This included a crossface chicken wing and a Crippler crossface.

Daniel Bryan flies on to the WWE COO.

After absorbing punishment for several minutes Bryan made a comeback, hitting 'The King of Kings' with kicks, punches and a series of German suplexes. Tripper put a stop to that with a tiger suplex. A trip to the top rope resulted in Bryan hitting a sunset bomb. The multiple running drop kicks followed that, though it didn't last long as Tripper cut Bryan off with a lariat on the third. Bryan reversed a Pedigree attempt and scored with his KO kick. The flying headbutt was countered with a raised knee and then Triple H reapplied the Crippler crossface.

Bryan stayed in the hold for close to a minute before slipping out and applying the Yes lock to 'The Cerebral Assassin'. That was a lengthy application too, Triple H only escaping the hold when he reached the ropes. His decision to slip outside of the ring proved ill-advised as Bryan followed him out with a suicide dive. Back in the ring he hit a top rope drop kick and blasted a kneeling Triple H with a series of kicks.

Triple H countered the running knee with a spinebuster and immediately followed up with a Pedigree. That proved to be a convincing false finish as the audience erupted when Bryan kicked out. A sneaky small package wasn't enough to get Bryan a win. Trips tried a pedigree again but Bryan flipped into a pinning predicament and then dead weighted to avoid another attempt made at the move. Trips dropped knees on his foe then attempted his finish again but wound up taking a running knee for a clean Bryan victory.

After the match Triple H held his head in his hands at ringside as Bryan led a chant in the ring. Stephanie joined him and pummelled him with slaps, which he laughed off, and then Triple H hit him from behind. He wrapped Bryan's injured arm around a ring post and then left with Steph, promising there would be no happy ending as he posed at the top of the aisle.

The New Age Outlaws were the first men out for the second match. Road Dogg's shtick was interrupted by The Shield's entrance (which may have been a time constraint thing). Any hopes for another great 'Hounds of Justice' outing were disappointed as they made short work of their foes, defeating them in just under three minutes. They hit all their top spots (Reigns’ Superman punch and spear, Rollins’ crazy energetic flying, and Ambrose’s deliberately ugly take downs and punches) and won with a triple power bomb on both Outlaws at the same time.

The short length could be seen as disappointing but I think it was a good call. The Shield should be able to make short work of anyone at this point. There are other matches in their back catalogue for anyone who wants to watch them wrestle lengthy six mans. That wasn’t what this match was about. It was about showcasing what an excellent team they make.

Backstage Sergeant Slaughter, Jim Duggan and Ricky Steamboat had their toys taken away by Ted DiBiase. Then Ron Simmons entered and said damn. Someone somewhere found it hilarious. Probably Vince McMahon.

The battle royal went on third. There were more than thirty participants. It was basically the entire roster who didn’t have a match elsewhere, minus Bad News Barrett. Even David Otunga was in there. There were, however, no special guests. While that hadn’t been confirmed the fact that WWE had gone out of their way to state there would be thirty entrants and only announced twenty-seven made it same as if some significant names would appear. I wasn’t disappointed by the development. More surprised.

Yoshi Tatsu was the first man eliminated. Kofi Kingston got a Royal Rumble style spot when he was launched over a turnbuckle by Cesaro and landed on the steel steps, avoiding elimination by not letting his feet touch the floor. It was inventive but looked incredibly dangerous. When it happened I thought Kofi had been seriously injured.

The final four were Big Show, Cesaro, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. ‘Great White’ and ADR eliminated each other, leaving Cesaro along with ‘The Giant’. After avoiding a few elimination attempts Cesaro scooped him up and slammed him out of the ring for the victory. It was a simple idea but a stunning feat of strength from Cesaro. The trophy he was presented required five men to get it into the ring. Cesaro hoisted it up singlehanded. Like a boss.

The video package for Wyatt v Cena focused on Cena being a popular man who's considered a hero and Wyatt wanting to end his legacy (which could apparently be achieved by beating him in a match). It was good but not a patch on the Triple H and Bryan video.

Star entrance treatment?

Wyatt got star entrance treatment. First a woman performed what was probably a voodoo ritual (hey, New Orleans is about more than parties) and got played to the ring by Mark Crozer and his band. Members of the band were wearing seventeenth century plague masks, which were eerie and a beautiful fit for the Wyatt character. Wyatt himself was sporting a new black hat and a brown leather coat. He mostly heard cheers when he blew his lantern out and the music cut.

Cena got his regular entrance and heard boos. Which was fine. There's not a huge amount that can be done with his mad dash to the ring and he's had some distinct ones at ‘Mania over the years. Wyatt warranted the special treatment more and has a character that lends itself to something a bit different.

The story of the match was that Wyatt wanted to turn Cena into a monster and expose him as a fraud to people. That could have been made clearer in his promos leading up to the show but at least the commentary team did a decent job of getting it across. Cena began by refusing to attack a kneeling Wyatt and was driven to acts of excessive aggression during the course of the match, including wielding steel steps and chairs (he always chose not to use them against his opponent). Whenever Cena stopped to consider his actions 'The Eater of Worlds' regained control.

Air Cena.

There were several memorable moments during this match. Cena managing to set Wyatt up for a Five Knuckle Shuffle only to be freaked out by Wyatt’s crab walk; Wyatt countering Cena’s top rop leg drop into a power bomb; Wyatt performing a DDT on the apron; the audience signing He's Got the Whole World in His Hands; and Cena leaping off the top rope to the outside to wipe out Harper and Rowan were among my favourites. Wyatt was also permitted to kick out of an AA and survive an STF. In return Cena kicked out of Sister Abigail, but that was always going to happen.

The finish saw Wyatt hand Cena a chair and ask to be finished, telling him to be a monster. Cena did use the chair, but on Erick Rowan. Wyatt snuck in with a rollup, which felt like the finish, but Cena kicked out. The pair botched a Sister Abigail, which Cena slipped out of anyway, and then Wyatt got blasted with an AA for the Cena victory.

It was a decent match but the wrong result. Cena didn't need to win. Wyatt's career and momentum are not harmed by the loss but they could have been enhanced with a win. Beating Cena in his WrestleMania would have been a wonderful moment for Wyatt. His standing can still increase and he can still get a victory over Cena in a rematch, but WrestleMania was the show that meant more. It’s the company’s premier event, the one watched by more people, and was the first official encounter between the two men.

The Hall of Fame class was brought out onto the stage next. To my ears it sounded like Lita and Scott 'Razot Ramon' Hall got the loudest responses. They would have been the two I’d have cheered for most if I was there, so it’s possible I’m wrong. Maybe Carlos Colon got the biggest response.

Backstage we were shown Daniel Bryan being tended to by a doctor. He was in pain lifting his arm. Underdog, you say?

The Streak video first established that The Streak has been built up over decades and is an impressive feat. Then it switched to Heyman talking about how Lesnar will end it as footage of the handful of meetings between the combatants was shown. It did as good a job as it could it making Lesnar look like a contender but I can't imagine it convinced many people 'The Pain' would be winning.

Witch hunter Undertaker.

Footage of all of 'Taker's 'Mania outings preceded his entrance, accompanied by the familiar Chanting Monks volume 4 soundtrack. When the gong hit 'The Dead Man' ambled onto the stage and posed in the smoke. Then, because he's magic, he opened a casket with 22 written on it by turning his head. Halfway down the aisle he set said casket on fire with a lightning bolt. Again, magic. His outfit had a witch hunter vibe to it, which I dug.

The crowd was completely dead for the first several minutes of the bout. This was not through lack of effort from the competitors. While the action was not as polished or layered as recent Undie matches it was far from bad. The trouble was that people know Streak matches are going to be lengthy affairs and have been conditioned not to respond until the big moves start getting wheeled out.  

Even when it got going the action was far from quick but there as a logic behind it. Unfortunately it was hurt by too much time between signature spots.Lesnar kicked out of choke slam. Undertaker survived F5. Lesnar powered out of the Hell's Gate before 'Taker survived a kimura and then applied the move to Lesnar. Lesnar yanked ‘The Phenom’ down from an old school rope walk into a second F5, which was survived again. Undertaker countered some turnbuckle posing into a Last Ride. Lesnar kicked out of the match’s sole Tombstone (going by things said in other promotions the Louisiana State Athletic Commission was not fond of the piledriver or any variant of it).

And then it happened. Lesnar connected with a third F5 and went for a cover. The referee counted one, two… and three. Just like that, seemingly from out of the blue, The Streak was ended. The audience sat shocked as Lesnar and Heyman sneered at their accomplishment and headed to the back. Watching it live I originally thought the referee had botched the finish somehow. But the reactions of everyone involved told me that wasn’t the case. The decision had been taken to have The Undertaker suffer his first loss at a WrestleMania, twenty-three years after his debut at the event.

Undertaker stood in the ring for several minutes waiting for thank you chants that took an eternity to arrive. It wasn’t that the crowd was unappreciative, they were simply shocked that The Undertaker had lost. Very few people truly expected it to ever come and most of those who did didn’t think it would be this year against Brock Lesnar. There was a wonderful shot from high in the arena as The Undertaker walked to the back. By that point there was a standing ovation.

After an advert for next year’s WrestleMania Michael Cole and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler moved on to jauntily shilling Kid Rock and next year’s spectacular. It rendered the sombre tones they’d employed during Undertaker’s post-match walk to the back utterly hollow.

The Divas had the difficult task of following the end of The Streak. Vickie Guerrero stood and watched the shambles that ensued from a podium at ringside (it may or may not have been Bad News Barrett’s regular podium redressed). With fourteen wrestlers involved it was never going to be pretty but it would have been better without the loud spot calling from Nikki Bella (she is Cena's girlfriend, I suppose). AJ won with the Black Widow and there was no descent between her and Tamina. The match was the complete filler everyone expected it to be.

Backstage ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund was joined by Hulk Hogan. 'The Hulkster's' diatribe about WrestleMania XXX (which probably would have led to talk of how he pressed Andre the Giant over his head in 1987) was interrupted by Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. 'Mr Wonderful', who was sporting a lovely handlebar moustache, claimed that people ask him on a weekly how it feels to be the man who lost the first main event. They don't. Mr T rocked up to provide backup but the four ended up shaking hands.

Hall of Famers Bruno Sammartino, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, Dusty Rhodes, Bob Backlund and Harley Race were shown at ringside before the main event. Hart got the best reaction. Backlund looks the youngest. These are the sorts of things I pay attention to during segments like this.

WWE champions Randy Orton was played to the ring by Rev Theory for his main event title defence. He got very little reaction. The crowd still seemed very deflated about The Undertaker's loss. Batista did better: he brought genuine heat to the table. He didn't get a pyro though. For whatever reason it failed to go off. Batista’s response was to (ahem) deal with it. Bryan came out gingerly favouring his arm and managed to drag a "Yes!" chant from the fans. Even Bryan couldn’t fully lift the crowd’s spirits.

Bryan was kept on the sidelines selling for much of the match, encouraging fans to rally behind him when he did involve himself and casting him even more as the underdog of proceedings. When Orton and Batista were left to their own devices they provided the level of quality you'd expect. WWE, and fans, are very lucky Bryan got added to the match. Orton and Batista proved here that they would not have been capable of holding attention had they been in a singles match.

Around the halfway mark Bryan had Orton locked in a Yes lock until Triple H and Stephanie ran in through the crowd and yanked the referee from the ring. Batista planted Bryan with a Batista bomb as Scott Armstrong (the crooked referee who helped frame Bryan last September) showed up to count the fall. Despite being a crooked official he provided a fair count and then got knocked out of the ring by D-Bry. He huddled with Trips and Steph at ringside and absorbed a suicide dive. ‘The Game’ pulled out his sledge from under the ring but Bryan kicked him and grabbed it from him, then lamped him straight in the face with it, much to the approval of fans. A rollup on Batista was broken up by ‘The Apex Predator’ and then the two Evolution boys double teamed Bryan to get him out of the match.

Make them a tag team and give them this as a finish.

Trips was helped backstage as the announce tables were cleared by Orty and Batsy. The audience sang goodbye to him. Bryan was hoisted up onto one announce desk and hit with a picture perfect Batista bomb-RKO combo through another table by his opponents. 'The Animal' was the only man left standing after that. Medics showed up to carry out Bryan backstage as Batista and Orton started back up against one another. They didn't last long as Bryan fought his way off the stretcher and got back into the match, immediately getting pasted by 'The Viper'. An RKO got reversed into a Yes lock. That was broken by Batista. Seconds later Orton returned the favour when Batista found himself in the hold.

Bryan got wiped out by an awkward spear. Batista turned around into an RKO, but managed to kick out. Orton tried for a punt but got clocked with the running knee. Batista tossed Bryan out and tried to steal the pin but Orton kicked out (the first man to survive Bryan’s knee strike finisher). Seconds later the champ took a Batista bomb and rolled to the outside, leaving Bryan to scoot back in to nail the Royal Rumble winner with another running knee. Moments later Bootista tapped out to the Yes lock and Daniel Bryan became a three time WWE champion.

The beginning of Daniel Bryan's third WWE championship reign.

The celebration saw streamers and confetti showers pumped up into the air from strategically placed cannons. Bryan stood in the middle of it all, leading a “Yes!” chant and looking genuinely happy. It was the ending everybody wanted for the show: the underdog earning his way into the title match and proving that he belonged on top, overcoming months of storyline marginalisation.

The first and last matches of the main show did everything that could have been realistically asked of them. The Shield looked superb as they effortlessly squashed three veteran performers. The pre-show tag match was a lively tussle. Cesaro looked like a man to watch when he won the battle royal. There were, in short, things to enjoy at WrestleMania XXX.

It was one of the best entries in the show’s history. The best? I don’t think it was that good. The Divas match was a washout and the battle royal, despite a handful of dazzling moments, wasn’t much better. Cena v Wyatt was a good match marred by a depressing result. But it was the Lesnar versus Undertaker match that sealed the deal. After years of show stealing performances it was disappointing to see ‘The Dead Man’ stuck in such a sluggish, awkward outing here. That he lost only made it worse of course.

WrestleMania XXX got a lot right. There’s a chance it’s going to go down as The One Where ‘Taker Lost and Bryan Won. But I hope not. It deserves more because it did more.