by The WWE just spent the last week telling us that the “New Era” has begun in WWE, and then went out and had one of the best WrestleMania’s in history. They allowed their competitors and their announce team to have fun, be creative and take chances, some worked, some didn’t, but in the end the right choices were made and this weekend was incredible!
Here are some of the best moments from the weekend.
Wolf Dogs hold on to NXT Tag Championships.
This showed that a talented guy like Baron Corbin can succeed at any level you put him at. This also proved that even though we realize Bron Breakker is destined for big things on the main roster, there is no rush to end his NXT run when it still has legs and he keeps fans engaged with what he is doing there. Smackdown is healthy, Breakker is just fun in NXT for a bit longer.
Roxanne Perez becomes NXT Womens Champion
This is great and long overdue as her first reign didn’t exactly have a defined end to it. Perez as a heel is working better than her babyface run and she has all the talent in the world to keep this going for a long time to come.
Meanwhile, for Lyra Valkyria the women she beat for the belt, she has main roster written all over her and deserves to be drafted. This move and title switch sets them both up for the next exciting phases of their careers.
A new era of high flyers showed they can have an incredible Ladder Match!
It was the perfect mx of young and old that tore down the house in the WWE tag Team Titles ladder match. From the DIY spots of going through the ladder, to the crowd rallying behind the Miz and R-Truth, the WWE continued to show that they do Tag Team or multi men ladder matches better than anyone on the planet. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate shined, as did Waller and A-Town, which leads me to believe there may be some hope for the Tag Team Division on each brand after all.
Sami Zayn defeats Gunther
In one of the most emotional and inspirational wins of all time, Sami Zayn defeated Gunther to end his 650 plus day title reign with the Intercontinental Championship. Zayn was the ultimate underdog and from the Chad Gable pep talk to the KO High Five before he walked out, you could feel the emotion and actually started to believe he could do it. That is story telling done perfectly! It also frees Gunther up to make a run at the World Championship.
Drew McIntyre shows he is a team player, and incredibly talented.
McIntyre is doing the best work of his career right now, on the microphone and in the ring. Drew had an incredible bag pipe entrance; ground swell of support and dramatic World Championship win over Seth Rollins. Only to get his butt kicked by CM Punk minutes into it, and then his belt stolen by the Damien Priest cash in. Drew Galloway the man, is the ultimate team player and a tremendous asset to this company right now.
Bayley and Io Sky put together a five-star classic!
It is hard to believe any women’s match with Rhea Ripley could be topped, but this match far surpassed it. Sky is the real deal and has been since his NXT day, meanwhile Bayley is a wily veteran who earned this moment tonight.
Bayley has been a mentor to many, and this night needed to go her way as a giant thank you for everything she has done. She didn’t need a reality show, or a catchy nickname, she just needed to be Bayley and it worked! The match was a technical classic as Sky had a counter for every single thing Bayley tried, until she didn’t, and then Bayley was champion!
Cody Rhodes Finishes the Story!
Oh my, it may have taken his wife Brandi walking to the ring with him, his mother “Mama Rhodes” sitting ringside, and help from Jey Uso, The Undertaker and John Cena to get the job done, but it worked! Cody Rhodes finished his story this weekend, and overcame the mountain that is “The Bloodline” to get it done. It was the ultimate feel-good story as he won the one belt his deceased and beloved father Dusty Rhodes couldn’t.
The post victory celebration showed a bunch of guys that Vince McMahon gave up on and considered cast offs, helping him celebrate. This includes John Cena who was almost fired in 2002. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens who almost departed for AEW right before WrestleMania 38 in Texas, before HHH did what he could to get them resigned. Zayn and Owens have been crucial cogs to the past two years WrestleMania’s. LA Knight, a guy who McMahon wanted to be a Male Model manager only and CM Punk who was a guy VKM legitimately hated.
Clearly, the biggest name was Cody, the same guy Vince McMahon forced to be “Stardust”, before Rhodes left and showed the world just how good he could be. The men in the ring to close out the night were no accident, everything was done for a reason this weekend, and those final moments proved a new ERA, has indeed, begun!
