WWE WrestleMania 34 report card: Analysing and grading each match

WrestleMania 34, the biggest WWE show of the year, took place in New Orleans on Sunday night.

A total of 14 matches were on the stacked card, with the Universal title match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns headlining the event.

Other featured matches included AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE title) and Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon, while Daniel Bryan returned to the ring for the first time in three years to team with Shane McMahon against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women’s title) and Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women’s title) were also on the card, while John Cena was involved in an impromptu match against The Undertaker.

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Without any further ado, let’s take a look at all 14 matches and analyse what was good and bad about this year’s annual extravaganza.

#1 Kickoff show: Matt Hardy wins the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Match: The Battle Royal came down to Matt Hardy and former winners Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley. With Matt in trouble, Bray Wyatt appeared and helped his enemy eliminate both men. Matt thanked Bray post-match and the two rivals soaked up the adulation of the fans in the middle of the ring, seemingly confirming an unlikely alliance between the stars of the Ultimate Deletion.

Verdict: It was a little disappointing that the WWE cameras missed 10+ eliminations in the Battle Royal. Still, the match is all about the finish, and nobody can complain about the creativity involved in Bray returning to help Matt win. The best elimination of the match was from Mojo, who charged Zack Ryder over the top rope with a running shoulder tackle.

Grade: C+

#2 Kickoff show: Cedric Alexander def. Mustafa Ali (Cruiserweight Championship)

Match: It looked as though Mustafa Ali would get the win after landing a top-rope Spanish Fly and an 054 splash on Cedric Alexander. However, “The Entertainer” survived both high-flying moves and went on to win his first Cruiserweight title after hitting his ever-reliable Lumbar Check finisher on Ali.

Verdict: This back-and-forth contest wasn’t the best of the Cruiserweight Championship tournament, so it’s understandable that some fans expected a little more, but it was definitely a match worthy of the WrestleMania stage. Both men put in a performance they can be proud of (even John Cena was impressed at ringside!) and it was great to see genuine emotion from both guys after the match.

Grade: B

#3 Kickoff show: Naomi wins the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal

Match: Bayley and Sasha Banks worked together to eliminate Natalya and The Riott Squad and it looked like the dysfunctional best friends were the last two women remaining. Sasha offered a handshake to Bayley, only to be eliminated by her friend. Then, with Bayley about to celebrate, Naomi (yet to be eliminated) returned to the ring and threw her over the top rope to win.

Verdict: Surprise entrants? Check. Surprise finish? Check. Surprise winner? Check. The Women’s Battle Royal couldn’t have gone much better! The NXT representation was great to see, with Dakota Kai and Bianca Belair looking especially impressive, and the latest chapter in the Sasha-Bayley story was told brilliantly. The only negative? Becky Lynch was eliminated far too easily.

Grade: B+

#4 Seth Rollins def. The Miz and Finn Balor (Intercontinental Championship)

Match: The most unpredictable match of the night was chaotic from start to finish, with all three men looking likely to win at different stages. The finish came when Seth Rollins hit a double Curb Stomp on The Miz and Finn Balor, seconds after Balor struck Miz with a Coup de Grace. “The Kingslayer” then landed another Curb Stomp on Miz for the win.

Verdict: This was the perfect way to start the WrestleMania main show. The match was just as frenetic as expected, with plenty of pinfall attempts and high-flying moments, and Seth’s multiple foot stomps before his final Curb Stomp set the finish up very well.

Grade: A-

#5 Charlotte Flair def. Asuka (SmackDown Women’s Championship)

Charlotte Flair ended Asuka's undefeated streak

Match: Much of the SmackDown Women’s title match centred around the unique submission skills of Asuka and the athletic ability of Charlotte Flair. The most impressive spot was when “The Empress of Tomorrow” kicked out of a top-rope Spanish Fly, and then Charlotte picked up a surprise win by making her opponent tap out to a one-armed Figure Eight.

Verdict: The streak is over! After 914 days, Asuka is undefeated no more. This much-anticipated match lived up to expectations, producing a finish that the New Orleans crowd didn’t see coming. It’s sad to see Asuka’s winning run end, but this was a great way to do it – and with no Carmella in sight!

Grade: A

#6 Jinder Mahal def. Rusev, Randy Orton and Bobby Roode (United States Championship)

Match: After all four men hit their finishers, Sunil Singh provided a distraction to Rusev while Bobby Roode and Randy Orton were out of the ring, allowing Jinder Mahal to capitalise by hitting his former tag partner with his Khallas finisher for the win.

Verdict: Wow. When Rusev was added to this match, many people thought he would be rewarded for his fine “Rusev Day” work with a US title win on the grand WrestleMania stage. Instead, he took a pinfall from Jinder in one of the most disappointing finishes of the night. Congratulations to Jinder but, needless to say, WrestleMania 34 will go down as one of the unhappiest Rusev Days in history.

Grade: D

#7 Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle def. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H

Ronda Rousey was very impressive in her first match

Match: The first half of the match centred around Stephanie McMahon preventing Kurt Angle from tagging in Ronda Rousey. Once the MMA megastar finally entered the match, chaos ensued and we even saw Ronda get physical with Triple H. It genuinely looked like HHH and Stephanie would win at one point, but the Olympic duo eventually prevailed when Ronda made Steph tap to an armbar.

Verdict: Exceptional. When Ronda vowed in her first WWE interview to win fans over with her in-ring performances, it’s fair to say that most people didn’t think she would do it with her very first match. All four performers were outstanding, but especially Ronda. There was plenty of scepticism heading into this match – and rightly so after some hit-and-miss promo segments on Raw – but it far exceeded expectations.

Grade: A+

#8 The Bludgeon Brothers def. The New Day and The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

Match: After less than six minutes of all-out brawling between the three teams, Harper and Rowan won the SmackDown Tag Team titles for the first time as a duo after hitting Kofi Kingston with a top-rope powerbomb.

Verdict: It was always going to be difficult for this Triple Threat to meet expectations when it was placed after the Ronda Rousey match on the card. For that reason, and because it didn't even last six minutes, the crowd didn’t seem as interested as they might have been. Still, New Day’s pancake entrance was sensational and it was good to see The Usos on the WrestleMania main show for the first time.

Grade: C

#9 The Undertaker def. John Cena

Match: John Cena made his entrance to face The Undertaker but was interrupted by Elias, who sang a song for the New Orleans crowd before being attacked by the 16-time world champion. With no Undertaker in sight, Cena headed up the ramp, only for the lights to go out. ‘Taker then made his long-awaited return and defeated Cena in dominant fashion, pinning him in less than three minutes after a tombstone.

Verdict: The match has received a mixed reaction from fans, with some loving the fact that The Undertaker is back and some in disbelief that this “dream” WrestleMania match didn’t even last three minutes. As a one-off match, it obviously wasn’t great, but one imagines this was just a small part of a long story which will culminate in another match further down the line.

Grade: C

#10 Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon def. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

Daniel Bryan pinned Sami Zayn on his return

Match: Daniel Bryan was powerbombed against the ring apron by Kevin Owens before the match even started. After refusing to leave on a stretcher, Bryan returned to the ring and was finally tagged in by Shane McMahon. The returning SmackDown GM then survived a Helluva Kick and Pop-up Powerbomb before making Sami Zayn tap to the Yes Lock.

Verdict: Rumours of a potential heel turn in this match proved to be wide of the mark, but one of the greatest in-ring performers of his generation is back, so how can anybody complain?! It’s incredible to think that Bryan practised his first moonsault since 2015 just three days ago, yet he was able to produce a performance like this in his first match back. It’ll be fascinating to see what WWE has in store for him next!

Grade: A

#11 Nia Jax def. Alexa Bliss (Raw Women’s Championship)

Match: Nia Jax attacked Mickie James, Alexa Bliss’ sidekick, before the match and it looked like she would make short work of the Raw Women’s champion after a dominant start. However, Alexa put up a good fight and was able to last 10 minutes against her former best friend before losing to an impressive middle-rope Samoan Drop.

Verdict: This match was among both performers’ best in WWE. Alexa had a lot of offence and, despite being the overwhelming underdog, really did seem like she could sneak a victory after connecting with multiple eye rakes. In the end, Nia deservedly triumphed to win her first championship.

Grade: B+

#12 AJ Styles def. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

This match didn't quite live up to expectations

Match: After a hard-hitting encounter which looked like it could go either way, AJ Styles reversed a Kinshasa into an incredible Styles Clash to retain his WWE Championship. Following the match, Nakamura got down on one knee to hand Styles the title, only to hit him with a low-blow before kicking him out the ring.

Verdict: Sadly, the “dream” match failed to live up to the hype. Maybe it was due to the underwhelming build-up? Maybe the expectations were set too high? Maybe it was because of the often-doomed babyface vs. babyface dynamic? The finish to the match was superb, though, and Nakamura’s post-match heel turn makes the inevitable rematch a lot more interesting.

Grade: B

#13 Braun Strowman & Nicholas def. The Bar (Raw Tag Team Championships)

Nicholas watched on as Braun Strowman destroyed The Bar

Match: Braun Strowman revealed before the match that his tag partner would be a member of the WWE Universe. He searched far and wide across the arena before choosing a child, Nicholas, who accompanied him to the ring and stood on the apron as Strowman pinned Cesaro after a running powerslam.

Verdict: Entertaining? Uncomfortable? Weird? Braun and a child, who turned out to be the son of referee John Cone, are the Raw Tag Team champions and that is a sentence I never thought I’d write and one you never thought you’d read. Short-term, this will get WWE some buzz and online clicks. Long-term, the recently revived tag division is really going to suffer.

Grade: C

#14 Brock Lesnar def. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship)

Match: In a match that started with “CM Punk” chants and ended with “Boring” chants, Brock Lesnar surprisingly defeated Roman Reigns in front of a disinterested New Orleans crowd to retain the Universal title. Lesnar needed six F5s and multiple suplexes to put away his opponent, who ended his fourth consecutive WrestleMania main event with blood pouring down his face.

Verdict: The fan reaction was reminiscent of Lesnar vs. Goldberg (WrestleMania XX) and Reigns vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 32), with large sections of the crowd hijacking the match for the simple reason that they never wanted to see it in the first place. When you consider that it only took one F5 for Lesnar to defeat Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe, yet it took six to defeat Reigns, it’s no wonder that the crowd were more interested in chants and beach balls. That said, the fans didn't even give the match a chance, which is really disappointing.

Grade: C

Edited by anirudh.b