WrestleMania 33 was a memorable show for the ages. There were three matches on the Kickoff show and ten matches on the Pay-Per-View. Also, there were some great entrances, musical performances, celebrities, debuts and even returns.
The 4th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Gets Hyped
This Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was different from any other in history. Towards the end, when it came down to the final four participants in the match, both Mojo Rawley and Jinder Mahal went through the ropes to the outside of the ring (a participant must go over the top rope and both feet have to hit the floor in order to be eliminated). Once outside the ring, Mahal got in the face of a WWE Universe member sitting in the front row, who just happened to be New England Patriots football player and good friend of Mojo’s, Rob Gronkowski. Mahal would proceed to take Gronkowski’s drink and throw it in his face. In response, Gronkowski hopped over the barricade, got into the ring and shoulder tackled Mahal to the mat. Eventually, it came down to Mojo and Mahal and in the end; it would be Mojo winning the Battle Royal. After the match, Mojo invited his good friend Gronkowski into the ring to celebrate with him. Gronkowski has joined the list of many celebrities to make a huge impact at WrestleMania. It should be pointed out that NXT (WWE’s developmental system) Superstars Tian Bing and Killian Dain were two of the featured participants; since neither one of them won the match, neither one of them have officially moved up to the main roster yet. Also, one of the best things about this Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is that for the first time ever, a face (good guy) won it. SmackDown LIVE’s Luke Harper and Raw’s Titus O’Neil were last minute participants. Even though I was rooting for Apollo Crews to win, I am happy that Mojo won.
Two Matches Get Switched
The SmackDown Women’s Championship Match was originally scheduled to be on the Kickoff show and the Intercontinental Championship Match was originally scheduled to be on the Pay-Per-View; however, after the WWE Universe made their voices heard throughout social media, WWE decided to move the SmackDown Women’s Championship Match up to the Pay-Per-View. Apparently, WWE felt that there needed to be three matches on the Kickoff show, so I guess they settled with the Intercontinental Championship Match. As for the IC Championship Match, Dean Ambrose beat Baron Corbin to retain the championship, which I am happy about. The SmackDown Women’s Championship Match turned out to be a Six Pack Challenge which featured Alexa Bliss defending against Naomi, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Mickie James and Natalya. In the end, it was Naomi who forced Alexa to submit to regain the championship that she had never lost. I am definitely happy that Naomi won because she was the one I was rooting for.
Triple Threat Raw Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Becomes a Fatal 4-Way
The Club (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) were originally scheduled to defend the Raw Tag Team Championship against The Realest Guys in the Room (Enzo Amore & Big Cass) and the team of Cesaro & Sheamus, but WrestleMania 33 hosts The New Day (Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston & Big E) added a last minute tag team to the match. It was none other than The Hardys (Matt & Jeff), one of the greatest tag teams in not only WWE history, but in all of wrestling history, making their long awaited return to WWE. The Hardys are the guys that helped put Ladder Matches on the map and they showed that they have not lost a step. This proved to be one of the greatest comebacks in WWE history when The Hardys walked out as the brand new Raw Tag Team Champions. Even though I was rooting for The Realest Guys in the Room to win, I am definitely happy for The Hardys. This, of course, means that The Hardys are exclusive to the Raw brand and it should also be pointed out that Jeff Hardy finally got his first WrestleMania win ever.
John Cena Finally Pops the Question to Nikki Bella
WrestleMania 33 is not only the night that Nena (John Cena & Nikki Bella) defeated and silenced the obnoxious Mizanins (The Miz & Maryse) aka the Wannabe “It” Couple, but it is also the night that Nikki has been waiting for for a long time now . After the match, John Cena got down on one knee, pulled out an engagement ring and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, to which Nikki accepted. This was not just part of the storyline, Nena are engaged in real life. I am relieved that Nena beat The Mizanins because if it would have been vice versa, the entire world would have never heard the end of it. It should also be noted that WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler returned to commentary for one night only to call this match.
Was This The Undertaker’s Last Ride?
The match between Roman Reigns and The Undertaker became a No Holds Barred Match at the last minute. After back and forth action, it was Roman Reigns who handed The Undertaker his second consecutive loss at WrestleMania, making The Undertaker 23-2 at WrestleMania. After the match, The Undertaker left his gloves, leather trench coat and hat in the middle of the ring and then made his way back up the entranceway, saluted the thousands in attendance and disappeared down into the entranceway. This has many people speculating whether or not this signified The Undertaker announcing his retirement. This match was bittersweet for me because while I was rooting for Roman Reigns, I now find myself hoping that this was not The Undertaker’s last ride. It should also be noted that WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross paid a visit to WWE to call what was hopefully not The Undertaker’s last match.
Other Thoughts
I am definitely happy that Bayley silenced all of the naysayers and retained her Raw Women’s Championship in a Fatal 4-Way Match against her best friend and tag team partner Sasha Banks and two of her nemeses, Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair. It should also be noted that Kevin Owens beat Chris Jericho to become the brand new United States Champion and Randy Orton beat Bray Wyatt to become the new WWE Champion, as well as a 13-time World Champion. I am happy that Randy Orton won, but not happy that Kevin Owens did. Finally, here are the following Superstars that had their very first-ever WrestleMania match:
- Neville
- Austin Aries
- Mojo Rawley
- Simon Gotch
- Braun Strowman
- Aiden English
- Jason Jordan
- Chad Gable
- Tian Bing
- Apollo Crews
- Killian Dain
- Bayley
- Nia Jax
- Karl Anderson
- Enzo Amore
- Big Cass
- Alexa Bliss
- Carmella
So overall, there were 18 Superstars who had their first-ever WrestleMania match; wow, that is close to 20 Superstars. Finally, WrestleMania 33 broke the Orlando Citrus Bowl’s attendance record with 75,245 WWE Universe members from all 50 of the United States and 62 different countries. The previous Orlando Citrus Bowl attendance record was set by WrestleMania 24 in 2008 with 74,635 WWE Universe members.
It was definitely a fun night and a good party with good friends!