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WrestleMania 35 is in the books and, pleasingly, it was a mostly well-booked show that did the right things. It had the potential to be a renaissance moment, and for the most part, it was, though there were still some problems.
Who got the most and least out of last night's show?
Winners: Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese
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Tony Nese's victory accomplishes two things - it freshens up 205 Live and it allows Buddy Murphy to move on to Raw or SmackDown. Hopefully, the latter will be the case. He has been outstanding, but he's outgrown the purple brand now and can be a mainstay on either of the main two shows.
As for Tony Nese, it was the culmination of a long journey. His work has been outstanding this year and we can expect more good things to come during his title reign. It was a well-deserved win. There are many good possibilities awaiting him as the leader of the purple brand. It's nice to see things refreshed.
Losers: The Revival
While seeing Kurt Hawkins' losing streak come to an end at WrestleMania was definitely a highlight, make no mistake, this was possibly the biggest burial imaginable. The Revival might get the titles back, but this is a stain that won't soon go away, and almost feels like punishment for them supposedly asking for a release.
Zack Ryder and Kurt Hawkins are unlikely to restore the fortunes of the red brand's tag team titles during whatever title reign they have, and all eyes are now very much on the superstar shakeup to see what teams could potentially come over from SmackDown to give Raw the boost that it needs. Ryder and Hawkins very much feel like short term champions. Perhaps they'll even lose their titles tonight.
Winners: Seth Rollins and Monday Night Raw
At long last, Raw's long brand-wide nightmare is over. After nearly two years (with only one brief intermission), the Lesnar-created dark age is over. In a short, but dramatic match, the title was finally liberated, and WWE pulled the trigger on one of its best acts in 2018.
The entire picture of Monday Night Raw instantly looks brighter and it will be interesting to see what potential challengers come Seth Rollins' way from SmackDown or NXT now that he's the Universal Champion. That kind of intrigue was sorely missing for the last two years.
Winners: Aleister Black and Ricochet
The Usos might have walked out of WrestleMania as champions (and deservedly so), but Aleister Black and Ricochet stole the show and made the biggest impressions in the blue brand's tag team title match.
For now, the WWE machine seems behind them, which should make their transition to the main roster easier than it has been for some of their fellow NXT standouts. Hopefully, we'll see more good things to come from them, and ultimately, in singles competition.
Losers: Sasha Banks, Bayley, and the women's tag team scene
In easily the dumbest decision of the night, Sasha Banks and Bayley dropped the women's tag team titles to...the IIconics.
Aside from them just not being very good, this could preclude the match that everyone actually wanted to see - Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Kairi Sane and Io Shirai at the next TakeOver.
Hopefully, this decision will be reversed at Money in the Bank. There's simply much more than Banks and Bayley can do as champions than the IIconics.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
In what was the match of the night, Kofi Kingston came through and secured his place as WWE Champion. What an unbelievable moment. Unexpected from start to finish, this has been wrestling at its best.
Where Kofi Kingston goes from here as champion is anyone's guess. In many respects, it can only go downhill from here, but what a moment this was. This is the stuff that WrestleMania is supposed to be made of.
Loser: Drew McIntyre
Yes, it would have been unlikely for Reigns to lose here, but it was still the wrong decision. The loss sets McIntyre back tremendously and nips in the bud a potential challenger to the new Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
That title will find its way back to Reigns eventually, but it's way too soon for him to be in title contention. Otherwise, the fans will turn on him. This could have been the start of a long journey back for him. Instead, he got the victory, with not much left to do now, at McIntyre's expense.
Winner: Finn Balor
WWE chose to go the route of Finn Balor obliterating Bobby Lashley. Either way, he secured his second Intercontinental Championship last night.
It still feels like SmackDown would be the better place for Balor over the long haul, though, so is it possible that we see him swapped for US Champ Samoa Joe in the superstar shakeup?
Either way, Balor is on the up again.
Winner: Becky Lynch
There was no other call WWE could make here. Thankfully, they made the right one and then some. Not only did Becky Lynch win the match, but she also ended Ronda Rousey's undefeated streak to do so. The way it happened - a reversal, also leaves open the possibility of that one on one match everyone actually wanted.
What happens with the women's titles now are anyone's guess, but either way, Becky Lynch has arrived, and is the right woman to lead the division.
