It's been days after the spectacle hosted by WWE in Santa Clara, California, and it's safe to say that I'm still thinking about the insanity that was WrestleMania 31. Monday Night Raw came and went and further wet the palette as the McMahon-Helmsley empire has an all new game of thrones taking place in sports entertainment. It is safe to say that my Monday nights for the next 5+ months are booked.
However, if you haven't got enough of the last 48 hours of wrestling, we've got you covered.
- On The Versus Podcast, the wrestling aficionado that is Kellen Daniel joins Bonta and Eddie to talk about everything that was WrestleMania 31. Also, Ronda Rousey is bae.
- Here on TSFJ, some of our contributors and friends got together to share their reasons why Mania was dope. Everything from New Day slander to already thinking about a possible WrestleMania 32 match between Rock and Triple HHH.
So here's what you'll do. Press play on the podcast below, and read up as our friends get on their proverbial soapboxes as they share their stories. Oh, and we'll see you in Dallas for the national holiday that is WrestleMania 32.
Show your support for The Versus Podcast by subscribing to our podcast! For Apple/iPhone users, you can subscribe on iTunes, and for Android users, please go subscribe to our show on Stitcher Radio.
David Dennis, Moguldom Media: I'm never doubting a WrestleMania again. The build-up to this year's 'Mania was an absolute disaster. It had a main event nobody wanted to see. The company's most popular star was in the undercard match. And most of the card was 40-year-olds we just hoped didn't have heart attacks. Then, Sunday happened and WrestleMania was incredible.
This year's 'Mania only had one great match (Brock vs. Reigns) but it hit all the emotional storyline points to perfection and we ended up with the best WrestleMania since probably XXI. We saw an incredible RKO, a cluster*ck Sting vs. HHH that was a beautiful disaster, Undertaker having a better match than expected and Ronda Rousey being great. Then, that main event, man. Brock Lesnar showed why he's worth the money by having a great match with a guy nobody is really sure of. I'm on my third viewing and I may watch Reigns/Lesnar every day until WrestleMania 32.
DJ Wally Sparks, Atlanta's Favorite DJ: Wrestlemania 31 was fantastic. I'll admit that I was skeptical going into it because the build up to 'Mania had been pretty lethargic and there wasn't anything exciting me about the card besides finally seeing Sting perform in a WWE ring. However, when the the 4 way tag match on the pre show was over my optimism increased because of the way each team was flying around the ring. (Sidebar: Kofi Kingston deserves better than the New Day. SMH.)
Moving along, as the night progressed each match improved in quality, suspense and surprise. The way the whole card was paced made it feel like 4 hours just whisked by. But yo… YOOOO! That finish in the main event?!?!?! That has to be to most creative cash in of the MITB briefcase ever. That is the best booking creative has done in quite some time. Every competitor came out looking strong and probably more over than they were when the night began. A+ stuff man.
Brandon Caldwell, Houston Style Magazine Editor: The talk about Wrestlemania Sunday night will be about the fact that everything clicked and everything went right. Considering how underwhelming the entire event seemed going in, we were basically promised 30 cents and ended up with $10. The rumblings of positivity began last Tuesday where, in a bit of legitimacy, the WWE's most legit athlete, Brock Lesnar, hijacked ESPN to announce that he was staying with the company.
From there, it was all about performance and 'Mania 31 provided a literal reset of everything. All three singles titles have workhorses holding the belts now (depending on how you feel about John Cena). Seth Rollins delivered the moment of the night, TWICE and somehow, we left feeling BETTER about Roman Reigns despite him being the new Samoan Prince in the eyes of Vince McMahon. For a night, the WWE started thinking long-term as opposed to in the moment. It was the first real night that fans understood Triple H is going to put the WWE in a better place over time because God, the future looks a hell of a lot better than it did after Raw went off the air last Monday.
Kellen Daniel, Samoan CrossFit Legend: I think Wrestlemania 31 blew away everyone's expectations because, quite frankly, I don't think that people expected much to begin with. The buildup to the show was very poor this year, but WWE delivered on all fronts on Sunday. The card order was put together very well with no real slow points in the show, which is not an easy thing to do. WWE did a great job of establishing the direction in which they're trying to go as far as making the mid-card just as important as the main events by placing the intercontinental and United States championships on Daniel Bryan and John Cena, respectively.
The main event scene is crazy right now and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Wrestling is always more fun with a heel champion so here's hoping Seth Rollins keeps the title 'til at least Summerslam. Brock Lesnar did a masterful job of making Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins look like they absolutely belong in the spots that they're in without losing his cloak of invincibility in the eyes of the fans. Very well done and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything develops in the coming months. Two thumbs up from The People's Champ.
Eddie Maisonet, Host of The Versus Podcast: I'm just going to make a list of things I'm loving and hating right now. Let it be known that these pros far outweigh the cons.
Things I Love
1. The RKO: Best finishing move in WWE right now
2. America choosing to continue throwing shade at John Cena, all while sorta kinda rooting for Russia in the process.
3. Seth Rollins as a heel is the smarmiest thing ever. I love it.
4. The R-Truth Experience.
5. Stephanie McMahon. Her level of evilness as reached an all-time high. She's smacking the hell outta people, she's commanding folks to get out of her ring. She is her daddy. Yikes.
Things I Hate
1. The New Day. Kofi Kingston never needed a faction. Xavier Woods needs a haircut. And for the love of God will they get Big E out of that damn onesie? Jeez.
2. That Lana's gone 🙁
3. I hate that Bad News Barrett's Bullhammer isn't always great. It's a great move, but it could consistently be better.
4. Byron Saxton's substitute appearance as a commentator. Never again.
5. Daniel Bryan. Yeah I said it, I'm over it. Come fight me bro.
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