Overall, given what they had to work with...which was: Limited space, crew, and no fans, I actually thought Mania was pretty good. Grading on a curve, I gave it a solid B+. Below are my top 5 takeaways from the 36th annual WrestleMania...
WM Recap in 5 thoughts…
1.Wrestling is one of the weirdest forms of entertainment without fans, it’s just awkward. But there’s nothing they can do about that.
2.It’s a shame that Gronk won a belt that is so difficult to explain and so low on the totem poll, because a bunch of people are probably reading headlines that make it sound like Gronk is the world champion.
3.I’m a fan of the 2 night display. WM for years, probably the last 3 or 4 has lasted way too long. No show in the world should last more than 4 hours MAX. So to split it up, left me wanting more.
4.We need to stop with the Goldberg matches, if a guy can’t hold a match for longer than 90 seconds, then he shouldn’t be scheduled in a big spot this regularly. It’s a waste of time and promotion.
5.What the WWE did with the Boneyard match, this full blown production, cinematic adventure type feel…it fell flat, I appreciated the effort, and there were a couple cool moments, but it was largely clunky and awkward. On the flip side, what they did with Cena and Bray Wyatt in what was called the Firefly Funhouse match…that was truly something special. That was as good a production as I’ve ever seen period. And certainly in wrestling. Great story telling, it was creative, and just riveting. They nailed it.