Wrestle Review: WrestleMania 34
The title speaks for itself, this year's WrestleMania was something out of the fantasy land of the 'Woken' Matt Hardy, apt considering he opened the show with a weird victory aided by an old foe.
The best way to describe WWE's 'Show of Shows' would be that it had something for everyone as well as something, not meant for everyone. In many ways, it was the perfect potboiler of a mess, the kind that fits well into the context of a mainstream Bollywood movie.
In Bollywood, we call them 'Masala' movies. The basic idea is to feature a potpourri of multiple genres sometimes blended to perfection and other times over or undercooked. So in honour of what has been the weirdest seven hours of WWE history, here goes with this perplexed review.
Kicking things off
The kickoff show truly doesn't encapsulate what it's like to compete at WrestleMania especially for the unfortunate souls contesting during it. However, that doesn't mean anything substantial can't happen during this time.
The biggest of them all was the return of Bray Wyatt, unchanged and unbroken but possibly 'woken' as he assisted Matt Hardy to win the 5th Annual Andre The Giant Battle Royal. Welcome the 'Woken Wyatts'. Rating: 1* out of 5
The second match of the night featured the Cruiserweight championship finals. Unlike their more accomplished counterparts from last years Cruiserweight Kick Off contest, the heart and soul of 205 Live; Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander respectively didn't carry a chip on their shoulder but let their actions and story speak for itself.
Hence, they were successful in capturing fan's hearts. Cedric Alexander wins to become the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Rating: 3* out of 5
Finally, the kick-off ended with another Battle Royal, this time for the WWE women accompanied by a few NXT compatriots. Unlike its men's counterpart, this had an interesting litany of stories, most importantly adding another chapter in the Bayley-Banks saga.
Bayley eliminated her 'supposed' best friend only to lose to Naomi for the Women's Battle Royal. Imagine a year ago, these two women were champions of their respective brand. Rating: 2* out of 5