The biggest carnival in pro wrestling – WrestleMania weekend is finally over. Exceptionally brilliant wrestling matches, entertainment, surprises, shocking returns, and splitting the opinions on various decisions, WWE managed to tick all the boxes at the New Orleans event.
The weekend kicked off with WrestleMania Axxess - The Wrestling Convention for the fans around the globe. WWE Hall of Fame 2018 took place on Friday where Goldberg headlined the class of 2018.
After 2 days of non-wrestling fun, it was time for some serious wrestling. We were treated to 5 days of non-stop wrestling, with NXT Takeover on Saturday, The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment – Wrestlemania 34 on Sunday followed by Raw after Mania, SmackDown Live and NXT: Takeover fallout.
The entire event was a grand success for WWE. On that note, we take a look at 5 biggest winners from the 7-day pro wrestling carnival.
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#5 Bray Wyatt
The man who walked into Wrestlemania 33 as the WWE Champion was not even on the kick-off show this year.
The Eater of Worlds has been a victim of poor booking decisions and despite being part of an interesting storyline against Woken Matt Hardy, Wyatt’s career was going downhill.
But WWE made the right decisions this time to save Bray Wyatt’s career. Wyatt was thrown into the Lake of Reincarnation after his Ultimate Deletion by Matt Hardy. And man, he was reincarnated in the best possible way.
Wyatt surprised everyone with his return to the ring during Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and helped Matt Hardy to win the match. He later celebrated Matt's victory, confirming the arrival of Woken Bray Wyatt.
Wyatt’s push did not stop just there. He teamed up with Matt Hardy on Raw after Mania in the tag team eliminators and defeated Titus Worldwide. The Woken duo will face The Revival next week and the winner of that match will take on The Bar for the vacant Raw tag team titles at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
We can only see one winner next week and can expect Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy to take on The Bar. From no-show on the Wrestlemania card to the tag team title match, Bray Wyatt was one of the biggest winners after WrestleMania 34.
#4 The Undisputed Era
WWE has created a number of legendary factions in the past. But there has been no real stable, full of exciting wrestlers dominating the roster after The Shield broke up. Yes, The New Day are one of the best tag teams right now.
But they are nowhere near the bad ass heels like Evolution or DX. Fans are eager to see The Balor Club reunite in WWE, but the company is yet to pull that trigger due to the lack of opponents on the main roster.
It can all change very soon as The Undisputed Era is running riot in NXT. And they are led by none other than Adam Cole (Baybay).
The Undisputed Era entered the NXT Takeover: New Orleans as the tag team champions. But due to an injury to Bobby Fish, Adam Cole had to fight two matches in one night. Cole not only participated in both matches but also came on top.
Adam Cole kicked off the TakeOver: New Orleans by becoming the first ever North American Champion. He later returned to defend Undisputed Era’s tag team titles in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic.
Kyle O'Reilly had to do most of the work by himself as Adam Cole laid wasted on the table during the tag team match. Despite that, The Undisputed Era not only beat AoP and Dunne-Strong to retain the titles but also got a brand new member for their stable.
Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne to help The Undisputed Era to retain their titles and to win the match, joining the stable in the process.
Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish can definitely go on to become one of the best factions in pro wrestling. WWE will also have a chance to create amazing rivalries when The Undisputed Era debuts on the main roster.
With great future possibilities and an unexpected yet perfectly portrayed heel turn, The Undisputed Era was also one of the biggest winners of the weekend.
#3 Seth Rollins
There was a time after last year’s Wrestlemania when Seth Rollins looked out of ideas as a Babyface. But then came his tag title run with Dean Ambrose and Shield’s reunion. The reunion with his old brothers helped the Architect to rebuild his character.
After being added to the IC title feud, Rollins gave Raw's mid-card a much-needed revival with his promos and in-ring work.
The Architect kicked off The Showcase of the Immortals by winning the title. The match was full of incredible in-ring action and was definitely the most technical match of the night.
Seth Rollins, being one of the most over guys in WWE, set the tone for the rest of the night with his title victory.
It is also great to see WWE protecting Seth’s ‘Curb Stomp’ since he started using it again. It has made his finisher a big deal, making Seth look strong in the process.
The Kingslayer is rumoured to end up on SmackDown Live after the Superstar Shake Up. Fans will have no complaints if he moves to the blue brand, as it will open the doors for matches against AJ Styles, Nakamura and of course Daniel Bryan.
Regardless of Raw or SmackDown, expect the Architect to be in the main-event scene for next year’s Wrestlemania as he looks all set to be ‘The Seth Freakin Rollins’ yet again.
#2 Ronda Rousey
The Former UFC fighter had a debut to remember at Wrestlemania. She proved her doubters wrong with impressive in-ring action. Ronda managed to pull off some very entertaining stunts in the match while also revealing the real threat of “Arm Bar”.
But why was she the biggest winner?
With her Wrestlemania victory, Ronda Rousey has made herself the new face of the company. She was famous amongst the fans even before her debut.
But Ronda’s extraordinary match at Wrestlemania proved that she is not just a fan favourite but also a great wrestler.
Sure, there is a lot she can still improve. Ronda Rousey’s in-ring skills will be tested against the likes of Charlotte, Banks and Asuka. She still needs to work on her mic skills.
But in the form of Ronda Rousey, WWE has found a golden egg to sell the tickets like no one else has ever done.
Just like Brock Lesner, who becomes the major attraction wherever he goes, Ronda has the ability to do same.
And due to her MMA background, Ronda’s fan base from the UFC will take more interest in women’s wrestling, this will definitely help WWE attract more fans.
#1 The Undertaker
The Deadman was part of one of the best segments of Wrestlemania 34. Starting from John Cena in the crowd to teasing the Undertaker's return on multiple occasions, WWE did a great job to shock the fans.
The Undertaker’s famous gong was finally heard after the mysterious disappearance of his hat and the jacket.
The Phenom had won 23 matches at Wrestlemania before last Sunday. But a victory was very important to the Undertaker’s legacy, as another loss at Wrestlemania would have taken the shine off Undertaker’s 21-match unbeaten streak.
The Undertaker was nowhere near his best in last year’s match against Roman Reigns and for him to finish an illustrious career on such a sour note was the last thing fans wanted.
This year, The Undertaker looked in much better shape. But for him to squash John Cena in “The Dream Wrestlemania Match” was a huge victory as it helped us forget about last year’s match.
It was also poetic justice for the Undertaker to come back to the same place where his streak was broken and to beat the face of the company - John Cena. WWE booked the match correctly to preserve the Deadman’s legacy.
Undertaker’s Wrestlemania record now reads 24-2, a legendary record indeed!