Thoughts on WrestleMania XXX

Last night WWE put on their version of the Super Bowl. WrestleMania 30 came to us from the Superdome in New Orleans. There are a million places online where you can get recaps, rehashes, winners, losers, and just about anything else you want. I want to tackle this differently.

I want to talk about four particular images from WrestleMania that will stick with me for a while.

The first of these images comes from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Cesaro Wins the Andre the Giant
Memorial Battle Royal Trophy

The Battle Royal was a hectic as any 30-man battle royal can be, but it also never really caught the audience until close to the end, when only a few combatants remained. The final two men in contention for the trophy were Cesaro, and the odds-on favorite, Big Show. Cesaro tried several times to knock Big Show over the top rope, but was unsuccessful. Show struck back with a chop to Cesaro as the latter dove off the top rope at him.

Cesaro once again gained the upper-hand and pushed Big Show to the ropes. Then, in a scene reminiscent of Hulk Hogan body-slamming Ander the Giant at WrestleMania III, Cesaro scooped up Big Show, carried him to the ropes, and dumped him over. Big Show is roughly 7-feet tall and about 400-450 pounds. Cesaro is much, much smaller. It was a feel-good moment, especially as Big Show and Cesaro shook hands afterward and Cesaro was awarded his prize.

The second image comes from the bout between Bray Wyatt and John Cena.

This was the best built feud going in to WrestleMania, and the action bore that out. The two men started the match in a methodical pace, sometimes glacially slow, in order to better work the crowd. Wyatt claimed that he wanted to reveal Cena for the monster he is. And he gave Cena every opportunity.

You can see the crowd singing and swaying in
the background. Bray Wyatt is gold.

John Cena has been established as the righteous hero to children. But on this night he would toe the line. Wyatt pushed him to the point that Cena brazenly attacked Wyatt, choking him in the corner and striking with punches that Cena rarely uses.

Cena would not remain in control, though, as Wyatt battled back, leaving Cena reeling in the corner as Wyatt led a group of ringside fans in a chorus of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Wyatt left the ring to grab a chair. The referee implored him not to bring the chair into the ring, but Wyatt did anyway.

Bray Wyatt does the "Spider Walk"
Call the Exorcist!

Then he put the chair on the mat and kicked it over to Cena. Cena stood up with the chair.

Wyatt knelt before him. So here’s the image: John Cena standing tall holding a steel chair. Bray Wyatt kneeling on the mat begging Cena to finish him off. The ringside crowd swaying and singing “He’s got the whole world…” It was surreal, creepy theater.

My takeaway from Wyatt-Cena isn’t that Cena got the win; I figured Creative would book him to win, as WrestleMania is usually the place where the good guys win and the bad guys lose. After all, we can’t let Cena’s toddler fan-base think good guys lose. No, my takeaway is that one image. Although Wyatt popping up into his spider-walk as Cena was going for the 5-Knuckle Shuffle was creepy, too.

The third image comes from the night’s main event.

Daniel Bryan won a very physical, quite technical match with Triple H to open the show, earning a spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match later on. Triple H, though, proceeded to beat down Bryan once more, delivering a vicious chair shot to his already-injured shoulder.

Daniel Bryan finally claims his prize!

As champion Randy Orton and challenger Batista took to the ring, Daniel Bryan came out and it was obvious he was hurting. As the match got rolling, Bryan had plenty of time to rest, as Orton and Batista took a lot out of each other. The moment that Daniel Bryan began to gain the upper-hand, Triple H and Stephanie appeared. They removed the referee from the match and inserted their own referee, a known lackey for the Authority. Daniel Bryan quickly eliminated him from the match and then took out the entire Authority with a suicide dive. Triple H replied by pulling a sledgehammer from under the ring, but Bryan got the hammer away from Triple H and instead hit the game.

As the Authority retreated, Bryan turned his attention back to the Orton and Batista, who teamed up momentarily to put Bryan out of commission. The bearded superstar would rally, though, and eventually find himself with Batista in the “YES!” Lock and Orton lying prone outside the ring. Batista would tap out and Bryan would win the belts.

The lasting image of the main event is Daniel Bryan kneeling on the mat, staring at the title belts laid before him. It was a scene reminiscent of Shawn Michaels first title victory. On a night of throwbacks to old WrestleMania moments, that one was pretty big.

But all of these images pale in comparison to scene #4: The Streak…

The Undertaker was 21-0 at WrestleMania. Was. Brock Lesnar finally ended the Streak, changing Taker’s record to 21-1. It was a scene that people thought might one day play out. There is a tradition in wrestling that a veteran always goes out on their back. Sometimes it is to put over a younger star. Sometimes it is just because of tradition.

The Fallen Undertaker. Biggest Shock of the Night.

I’m not sure about this one. Lesnar did not need a victory over Undertaker. Lesnar is a part timer, just like Taker. And given how long Taker stayed in the ring afterwards, and the slowness with which he got up, it was obvious something was wrong. Reports afterward say Undertaker was taken to the hospital with a concussion and possible neck injury. As Undertaker stood up and left the ring, he was greeted with cheers and applause.

The lasting image, though, is silence. When the referee’s hand slapped the mat on the three count, the entire Superdome deflated. Shocked expressions reigned. For a while, it seemed like the only two people making any noise were Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, celebrating at ring side. It took over a minute before Lesnar’s music kicked on, which was likely a play by WWE’s production crew to make it appear as though Lesnar’s music wasn’t even keyed up for possible play after the match. And the Undertaker lay in the center of the ring, staring up.

Fans React to Undertaker Losing for the first time at
WrestleMania

When I saw the referee count three, I had a sudden sinking feeling that I had just watched the Undertaker’s final match. The dream match with Sting at WrestleMania 31 was out. I actually thought Taker might grab a mic and retire on the spot. Now, though, I think that happens at raw tonight.

Either way, Monday Night Raw is sure to hear chants of “Thank You, Taker!”