WrestleMania 32 Review

I always get excited for WrestleMania every year and leading up to it this year was no different.  Sadly though I must have watched a different show than others in my Facebook food because I didn't watch a show that was awesome, insane, spectacular, amazing or any other accolade that makes a blanket declaration stating the entire show was tremendous, because it wasn't.

The pre-show started at 5pm with the first match starting around 5:45pm and the main event ended about 10 minutes of midnight.  That's pretty near a 7 hour event which is very long.  I'ts a good thing I had coverage at work until 1am and not midnight.  

Including pre-show and the Rock's impromptu match the card featured 12 matches.  The three pre-show matches were better than I thought they would be.

United States Champion: Kalisto defeated Ryback

10 Woman Tag: Team Total Divas: Brie Bella, Paige, Alicia Fox, Natayla, & Eva Marie defeated Team Bad and Blonde: Lana, Tamina, Naomi, Summer Rae, & Emma when Brie made Naomi tap out to the Yes Lock.  It also seems as thought it's Brie's last match. 

The Usos: Jimmy & Jey defeated The Dudley Boys: Bubba Ray & Devon

As much as I hate to admit this, the sequence that Brie used to set up the Yes Lock was actually really, really good.  Lana makes her in ring debut, didn't do a lot boy she looks different with her hair down.

The main show was kicked off with the 7 Man Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship.  It was a good match, the last guy I thought was going win it did in Zack Ryder.  He's worked hard for the company for a long time and deserves to have this big moment at WrestleMania.  I can't imagine he'll have a very long title run. (Note: He lost it to the Miz the next day on Raw.)

It's was bullshit that Jericho got the win of Styles.  First off it looked like Jericho purposely had a bad match.  It was more than just the timing was off, or they weren't clicking because when it came time for Jericho to look good he was spot on.  However when it was Styles turn Jericho was slow and off a step.  This is their 4th singles match, one we didn't need to begin with, so does this mean we have to watch them have 1 more match together at the next PPV, god I hope not!

League of Nations beat New Day, it was Four on three they should win.  As much as I loved seeing HBK, Austin, & Mick Foley come out and beat down the League it basically made their win look worthless.  I will say I marked out big time seeing HBK in his wrestling gear. 

Brock Lesnar defeated Ambrose in a Street Fight.  Not much of a street fight, some chairs, a kendo stick, and a whole bunch of suplexs.  It was basically an extended squash.

Triple Threat Match: Women's Champion: Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch when Becky tapped to the Figure-8.  In my opinion this was the best wrestling match of the night.  It was damn good and it stole the show.  Charlotte came to the ring with the Diva's Championship and left with the Women's Championship officially ending the Diva's name that I have hated since they started it.  Sasha got the big entrance with her cousin Snoop Dog rapping her to the ring.

Hell In A Cell: Taker beat Shane, I found surprising because storyline wise it seemed Shane was destined to win so he could take over Raw.  If you take out the part where Shane jumped off the top of the cage to elbow drop Taker on the announce table, it wouldn't be as good of a match.  It was a spectacular spot and I really enjoyed the match but it wasn't great.

I would never guessed that Baron Corbin would win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, he had no build up, just walked to the ring with the others that were unannounced and came away with the win.  I wonder if this means he is on the main roster now?

Rock had a really long segment where he announced the attendance of the event.  Then the Wyatt Family interrupted which lead to an impromptu 6 second match where Rock beat Eric Rowan.  Then Cena made a surprise return aiding Rock in yet another Wyatt Family beat down. I could have done with out the whole segment.

Roman Reigns beat Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, of course that's not a surprise to anyone.  The crowd booed Reigns after his win and during his celebration.  The only pop for Roman is when he accidentally speared Stephanie, because if there is anyone they hate more than Roman is Stephanie McMahon.

I realize there are a lot of people that really like WrestleMania, and that's cool, I just don't agree.  There were aspects that I really liked about it, aspects I didn't like at all, It has nothing to do with the outcomes not being what I wanted them to be.

The best part about Mania was Paul coming over and us watching it together and that chat group with the other guys.

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NXT TakeOver Dalls review

 Over the years there have been few shows that have stood out in my mind as being awesome from top to bottom.  More specifically there was not a bad match on the card, and that's hard to do as usually a card will produce a few good matches but not every match.  For the longest time SummerSlam 2002 has been the show that was the best as every match on the show was outstanding.  Granted I haven't watched the whole thing in a few years, but it's been the measuring stick.  Friday night April 1st, NXT TakeOver Dallas surpassed it.

Now some of you will argue that with only 5 matches on the card, whereas SummersSlam 2002 featured 7 matches,  it shouldn't be as hard for them not to have a stinker, but anyone can have a bad night or their timing off and can have a bad match.  For whatever reason everyone on the show Friday was on top of their game.  The crowd was hot all night long as well, which definitely helps the matches.

American Alpha: Chad Gable & Jason Jordan defeated Tag Team Champions: The Revival: Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder to win the championships.
This is what a tag team match is all about.  Cutting off the ring, double team moves, frequent tags, blind tags, hot tags, yeah!  It was legit like watching tag matches from the hey days of the Jim Crockett promotions.  The emotion that Gable and Jordan showed post match really showed just how much becoming champions meant to them.

Austin Aries defeated Baron Corbin
Even though he worked several house shows this was Aries official NXT debut.  This was the weakest match on the card it was a still a great match.  Baron looked strong in the match and Aries got the quick roll up pin for the win.

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Sami Zayn
WOW!  In a post match wwe.com interview Nakamura announced that Strong Style has arrived and he was right.  The match was hands down the match of the night.  Simply phenomenal! Nakamura 's entrance music is great, his entrance is awesome.  I've been saying for years just how good he is and he proved it against Zayn.  Both men put on a hell of a match bringing the crowd to their feet several times including a standing ovation when it was over.

This match was Zayn's final NXT match before he goes full time to the main roster.  You could tell from the beginning that it was a very emotional time for him.  Post match he was given a hero's send off with a massive ovation and "Oley" chant.

Asuka defeated Women's Champion: Bayley to win the NXT Women's Championship
These two woman put on an incredible, fast paced, and hard hitting match that had a very powerful finish as Bayley refused to submit while trapped in the Asuka Lock forcing the referee to stop the match.  It seems like Bayley will be heading up to the main roster soon, mostly likely to feud with Charlotte.

NXT Champion: Finn Balor defeated Samoa Joe
Joe was busted open from an incidental headbutt which lead to the doctors stepping in over the next several minutes trying to stop the bleeding.  Which lead to several very heated chants from the crowd of "Fuck PG" and more.  Somehow they managed to keep the flow of the match going and turned out another killer match to top off the card.  I was surprised that Balor got the win because I had heard so much about him going to the main roster with Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows.  It could still happen.

If you haven't seen this show yet you need too!  Sign up for WWE Network just to watch this show!

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WrestleMania 32 & Takeover Dallas Predictions

Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin
This is Aries first big show match on NXT, I see Aries walk away with the win.

Tag Team Championships: The Revival: Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder vs. American Alpha: Jason Jordan & Chad Gable
Revival has had a good run but it's time for American Alpha to take the titles to show that they are the dominant team.

Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson
Crews needs this win, he had a good push at first but hasn't been able to get the wins on the big matches.  Samson is extremely boring and the win would be a waste on him. Creed with the win and he will go one to feud with Joe.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn
No way Nakamura is going to lose his debut match, just not happening.  Should be the match of the night.

Women's Champion: Bayley vs. Asuka
I think Bayley is going to get the win for two reasons.  First Balor is going to lose his match to Joe because he's going to the main roster, and they can't have them both lose their belts in the same night.  Second, Bayley will either get called up as Champion to feud with Charlotte, because even though she is over huge with NXT fans Vince probably thinks she needs to belt to show she deserves to be thrust into the WWE Woman's title picture.  Or she will drop it to an interim heal for Asuka to beat for it.

NXT Championship: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
Joe is going to win, Balor is getting called up to be with Anderson & Gallows. Joe can go on and feud with Apollo Crews and Austin Aries.

Pre-Show

United States Championship: Kalisto vs. Ryback
Ryback will win when Sin Cara cost Kalisto the match, in the end though, who cares.

The Total Divas: Brie Bella, Paige, Natalya, Alicia Fox, & Eva Marie vs. BAD & Blonde: Lana, Summer Rae, Naomi, Emma, & Tamina
Total Divas will win, gotta keep plugging that show

The Dudley Boyz vs. The Usos
Dudleys for the win!

Pay-Per-View

Andre The Giant Battle Royal
I'm not going to wager a guess, one theory I heard was Mark Henry because he's retiring.

Tag Team Champions: New Day: Kofi Kingston, Big E, & Xavier Woods vs. League of Nations: King Barett, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, & Rusev
Non-title match but New Day is still walking away with the win.

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho
Styles will win and end this feud with Jericho so he can move on to someone else, perhaps Ryback and the US Championship.

Ladder Match Intercontinental Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder vs. Sin Cara vs. Miz vs. Stardust
This match should be Zayn vs. Owens and the US Championship match should be the ladder match.  That being said I see Owens retaining and going on to feud with Zayn.

Diva's Champion: Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch & Sasha Banks
Charlotte is going to walk away the winner, she'll feud with either Bayley or Brie Bella next.  

Street Fight: Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose
I have no doubt that Brock is going to win, but Ambrose is going shine in this match.  It won't be a squash both guys are going to tear it up.

Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon
This is the toughest match for me to call.  Knee jerk reaction is that Taker wins, because it's Mania and it's Taker.  However, there is no streak any more so anything could happen.  I can see for storyline purposes that Shane McMahon wins and he will take over Raw.  I don't think Shane will win single handed, there will be a swerve of somekind, but Shane wins.

NO DQ WWE Champion: Triple H vs. Roman Reigns
Reigns wins, it's too obvious, who cares.  I just hope it's not the last match on the card.

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