Folks, it took us one year, one month and one day (straight from Titus!), but WrestleMania is back! And with that, we’ve got WrestleMania 37-Saturday’s hits and misses.
Because, let’s be honest…every show has it’s ups and downs. And while we are all exceptionally thrilled to have any WWE show back in front of a live crowd…there will be hits and misses.
And yes, Saturday’s hits and misses were there for all to be seen. Honestly, as much as it can be fun to pick on the misses…this time around, even the misses were enjoyable.
Why? Because we had a live crowd!
There were real people, really responding and interacting…and it was surreal. I can only imagine how happy each and every Superstar was to have that live crowd back.
But, enough gushing. Let’s focus on why we are here…
To open tonight’s show, WWE Chairman @VinceMcMahon finally got to say what we’ve been waiting to hear…
Welcome back, @WWEUniverse. And welcome to #WRESTLEMANIA!!!! pic.twitter.com/yMU7AfuESE
— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2021
WrestleMania 37: Saturday’s Hits And Misses
We shall save the best for last…so we start with the bad.
The Misses
Yes, I did say that even the bad stuff was tolerable because this was our first truly live show in front of the WWE fans in over a year. But, there were still misses.
Lack of that big surprise open.
For one, we had been hearing there would be no kickoff matches this year because WWE had something special planned for the return to a live crowd.
We got a pretty nice open, with the Superstars out on the stage and Vince McMahon thanking the crowd…but that was it.
Maybe I am downplaying that…but when I heard “big surprise”, I am thinking some epic entrance or super-secret Superstar return.
The opening match featured….the usual entrances. The opening segment preceding that featured…no real surprises.
It seems we got bad info, but I can still call it a miss.
That opening match.
It was OK, but only OK.
The biggest spot in the match, Drew’s over-the-leap? Was nearly a really bad botch (but was still a near miss).
And, WWE had the idea to kill off The Hurt Business...but MVP still had his THB gold chain, and Lashley’s tights were badly adjusted.
Are those minor nits to pick? Maybe…but for a company that is all about image, and has wardrobe folks on staff…stuff like that being missed, especially for WrestleMania?
Seems like a big miss.
The weather issues.
Not the fault of WWE, but after waiting like, 9300 hours for WrestleMania…the opening bout was delayed about 45 minutes due to severe weather.
It’s the risk of holding this kind of event in an outdoor venue-weather can be a factor, where in a dome or arena, it’s not.
You had to laugh, because why not make us wait a wee bit more. But, at the same time, some of those filler promos were painfully forced…as if no one in WWE looked at the weather and said…oh hey, we might have issues, let’s have a plan B to kill time.
Bianca Belair’s entrance.
One reason…the 2021 Royal Rumble winner is the EST of WWE…she’s been on the main roster for a while now…and her graphics?
They called her the EST of NXT. Seriously?!
The #ESTofWWE on The GrandEST Stage of Them All! @BiancaBelairWWE #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/Gc4KSPg3df
— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2021
Honorable mention here? Tamina.
Look, I love Natalya, I have been a fan pretty much since she debuted.
But, Tamina is just brutal to watch. Her splash is more like a flop, and she just does not move well in the ring.
I am happy to see Natalya get a shot at the tag titles…I just wish WWE could give her a far more capable partner.
Otherwise…I could complain about some of the booking. Why?
Because most of it was pretty predictable.
Like, I am not one to predict or bet when it comes to pro wrestling…but if I had, the outcomes were all as you’d expect.
Maybe WWE is holding off on the major surprises for Sunday night?
I also have one “I dunno”.
As in…I dunno how I feel about Omos getting the pin in his debut match, at WrestleMania, winning the tag titles.
Seems a bit…premature? Especially considering the bad press he’s gotten.
But, we shall see…
Of course, it’s not all bad news.
This is called Hits and Misses, after all…
So now…
The Hits!
Yep, it’s the good stuff!!
WrestleMania is back! Live fans are back!
Not joking, maybe you had to be pinched, but wow you don’t know how much you miss it until you get it back. Or something like that.
WrestleMania 36 was good for what it was…kind of. But WrestleMania 37…it’s just good to have fans back.
Bad Bunny!
Seriously, Bunny and Damian Priest had a good match. Some credit to Miz and Morrison, because everyone has their part to play…
But Bunny did not look terrible. He even nailed a Panama Sunrise, though it was dubbed a Bunny Destroyer (even though I swear I don’t see how that move is devastating…even if it looks cool).
Cesaro and Seth Rollins.
Smart folks expected that one would likely steal the show…and that is somewhat subjective, but it was exceptional.
Ending it on a high note…
Sure, they botched the video entrance…but I think Bianca Belair will take the end result…nice way to end WrestleMania 37, night one.
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