Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.
This week, Dallas Allsopp, Greg Coleman and Aaron Young review WWE WrestleMania 38.
WrestleMania 38 was certainly a better show than it appeared on paper - but did the card live up to the legacy that is WrestleMania?
Question 1: Which match was the most disappointing of the weekend?
ALLSOPP: I cannot go for Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey as I never had any solid expectations for it, but I’m actually going to choose Omos vs Bobby Lashley. This was an opportunity to put Omos over as a real threat, keeping his undefeated streak alive as an option for wrestlers to fight over for the rest of 2022. Alas, Omos looks human now, and even though Bobby Lashley’s credentials as a former WWE Champion are not in question, it just did nothing for someone who could become a real option in the main event scene for WWE.
COLEMAN: For me it’s a tie between Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey & Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns. The ending of both matches were anticlimactic and felt abrupt. For WWE to sacrifice so much of their talent in one way or another to build those two matches and have neither deliver is a huge disappointment!
YOUNG: Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns. I knew going in that it wasn’t exceeding the hype, but it fell flat. Plus, when you expect The Rock to show up at the end but he doesn’t, you do play yourself. Their bout at WrestleMania 31 is still, in my opinion, their best.
Question 2: What was the best match of the weekend?
COLEMAN: Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes was a great match. Bianca Belair vs Becky Lynch was really good too. However, in my opinion, the best match of the weekend was the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Triple Threat match between R-K-Bro, The Street Profits, and Alpha Academy. The match was excellent and was one of the better Triple Threat tag team matches I’ve seen. It was hard to predict who would win the match to begin with, and there were moments during the match where you legitimately felt each team was going to win!
YOUNG: Kevin Owens v Stone Cold. I’d say Bianca Belair vs Becky Lynch because it was amazing, but Stone Cold taking all those bumps was a sight to watch. Kevin Owens carried the feud the whole way, and the two paid off. From an entertainment aspect, these two ruled. From an in-ring perspective, Belair and Lynch slayed.
ALLSOPP: I cannot look past Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair, especially as it was yet another star marking performance for the EST of WWE. Belair gave The Man absolutely everything she had, and then some. I even love the fact she sported a shiner on Raw, as that evidenced just how visceral and physical their contest was. I loved it, and once again, WrestleMania sets Belair up for a solid following 12 months. On paper, that is.
Question 3: Where does this event rank against the previous 37 iterations that preceded it?
YOUNG: The build-up was abysmal, and the go home show was one of the worst in recent memory. However, the show itself provided a lot of great segments. All three celebrities performed well, and Pat McAfee stole the show. I’d put it in the top 15. The fact that both Royal Rumble winners lost in matches which were underwhelming doesn’t help, but two returns compensated for it.
ALLSOPP: It is in the top 20, but that is more so due to the fact it over achieved compared to how poor it looked on paper. The build felt as poor as WrestleMania 27, but ended up succeeding. The two day format has it’s positive and negative aspects, but I feel as though the two day format lent itsef well to a fun card overall.
COLEMAN: It’s not in the top 10 for sure, but it’s also not in the bottom 10 either. If I had to describe the two night WrestleMania event in totality, I would say it was a solid showing that over delivered.
Bonus Question: Who was the MVP over the entire weekend?
ALLSOPP: It would be easy to go with Bianca Belair, but I’m going to select Pat McAfee, who brought a much needed level of comedy and intrigue to the card. He actually has real value to WWE, and he fully showed why here.
COLEMAN: I'm going to go a little off the script here and award two awards: the MVP is Kevin Owens. To be in the spot Owens was in with a legend in Stone Cold Steve Austin, who has not worked a match in nearly 20 years, and to get an actual match out of it that was safe while being physical and entertaining is phenomenal work. I might even call it stupendous how good Owens' performance was.
The Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) is Bianca Belair. Belair is building a case to be Mrs. WrestleMania as she is now 2 for 2 in smoking her WrestleMania matches. Personally, I think her match with Sasha Banks last year was better than the Becky Lynch match, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that Belair has done great work two years in a row, and helped Lynch have one of her best matches ever. Also, Belair being able to pull off a 450 Splash from the second rope is ridiculous. WWE better let her have a long, dominant title reign this time.
YOUNG: It has to be Bianca Belair. She continues to shine in every opportunity she gets, and she has a bright future ahead of her. She has charisma, looks, and microphone skills. She is the complete package. Now Pat McAfee also did well, had an amazing entrance, sold a stunner, and agreed to get pinned by Vince McMahon. So, celebrity MVP goes to McAfee, wrestling MVP to Belair. If that’s possible.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
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