**Edited on November 4th, 2020**
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon) – Winner Added To The Main Event
To appreciate Wrestlemania XXX you have to know the story leading in to it. Daniel Bryan’s rise was not an easy one. In real-life, Vince McMahon saw him as a “B+ player” (he fed that line to Triple H), and Bryan was only ever going to fight Sheamus in the midcard at Wrestlemania XXX. After the Royal Rumble fiasco, and the many occasions when fans hijacked shows with “Daniel Bryan” chants, Vince was finally persuaded to give the fans what they desired.
So for many months before Wrestlemania XXX, Daniel Bryan was screwed. He was talked down to, he was cheated, and WWE continued to book him as an underdog undeserving of main event status. WWE was finally getting it right; they used the real-life perception Vince had of Bryan, and turned it in to one of the best underdog stories they have ever done. They threw everything at Bryan, and the more they held him back, the louder the fans become.
Enter Triple H and Stephanie, the two biggest heel magnets responsible for getting Bryan in the position he found himself in. Without them, the fans may not have got behind Bryan as much as they did. The fans loathed the idea of Batista vs. Randy Orton as the main event of Wrestlemania. It was (probably) assumed that Batista would return to a huge babyface reaction and defeat Orton at Wrestlemania, but the fans turned on him immediately and labelled him “Boo-tista”; much to the frustration of The Animal. The fan reaction forced WWE to change their plans and find a way to slot Bryan in to the main event match.
The show continued really well after the opening segment. The Yes! chants were loud, and while Triple H’s entrance could be seen as OTT, at least it wasn’t as bad as the Terminator entrance a year later. I’ve already said far too much in this body of text, so instead of calling the action, I will instead post the video below. It was one of the best opening matches in Wrestlemania history, Bryan played the underdog well, Triple H ruthlessly played his part, while Stephanie played her managerial role to perfection; you could always see her reacting.
While it wasn’t a 5-star match, the storytelling and psychology is of the highest quality. And the aftermath kept the story moving forward to the main event. No complaints, it was a main event quality match to open the show, and that’s a rare occurrence at Wrestlemania. Ending this by saying you can definitely see why Bryan retired young when he worked through stiff matches such as this.
The Shield vs. Kane & The New Age Outlaws
Difficult for anyone to follow Bryan/Triple H. Considering The Shield’s amazing year you would expect a little more for them, but at least they made the card. Road Dogg got a load of heat after mentioning they were fighting for The Authority. The Shield interrupted his promo with their classic gangster masks as they walked towards the ring through the crowd.
Honestly, it was such a short match so there’s not much to call. Reigns did most of the work with his superman punches, Rollins provided some drive-by offense, and Ambrose punched his way through someone at one point. After a few minutes The Shield had The New Age Outlaws down, and Rollins/Ambrose set them up on Reigns’ shoulders for a double powerbomb. All I saw was a short match to put The Shield over against the old guys, while also giving Reigns most of the spotlight. Not bad, but was hoping for more.
André The Giant Memorial 31-man Battle Royal
Participants:- Yoshi Tatsu, Brad Maddox, Brodus Clay, The Great Khali, Zack Ryder, Darren Young, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater, Mark Henry, Titus O’Neil, The Miz, Santino Marella, Damien Sandow, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, Big E, Fandango, R-Truth, Tyson Kidd, Goldust, Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Big Show, Sin Cara and Xavier Woods.
Noticed how many former WWE wrestlers were in this? I’ll tell you how many: 11 to be exact (Sin Cara was the original, not the one we have now). The commentators buried the battle royal before it got started by saying it had no sense of direction. Yoshi was eliminated in no time, and JBL buried him so far he found himself back in Japan. Maddox booked himself in to the battle royal apparently, but didn’t last long. Ryder continued his lowly status by being eliminated by 3MB. Henry eliminated 3MB by himself, and gloated a bit too long on the ropes, giving Show the chance to eliminate Sexual Chocolate.
Typical battle royal punching and stuff. Some more eliminations. Fandango was almost eliminated, but instead decided to dance as the fans hummed his theme song (one of the coolest reactions of the night) on the apron. Sheamus grabbed him and pounded away on his chest. 27 (yes, I counted) pounds later, Fandango stood there lifeless before Sheamus pushed and eliminated him from the match. Tyson Kidd did the dumb thing of going to the top, giving Del Rio the chance to eliminate him. The battle royal was down to decent numbers now.
The commentators noticed Cesaro was in there for the first time. Rey tried a springboard, but instead eat a sweet European uppercut from the Swiss Superman, and thus eliminated. Biggest spot of the match incoming! Kofi was thrown over the top turnbuckle on to the steel steps, and don’t ask me how he didn’t botch it, but he fell to the floor and kept his two feet on the steel steps! The referees decided he was not eliminated, and Kofi got back in with a flurry of kicks and Trouble in Paradise to the Big Show; he must have practiced that many times.
Cesaro took Kofi for the big swing, which went on forever and no way the house could count the swings properly. Show soon ended the fun with a chokeslam to Cesaro. Sheamus eliminated Kofi for definite. Ziggler tried a flurry of his own, but Del Rio kicked him out to big heel heat and disappointment. With Cesaro left as the only babyface, the fans started chanting his name. Del Rio and Sheamus eliminated each other, leaving only Big Show and Cesaro. After some back-and-forth, Cesaro gave Show an uppercut, and the very second he picked Show up the crowd ERUPTED with a thunderous roar as he dumped Show to the outside to an even bigger pop. Wow!
I’m guessing most predicted Big Show would win, so for Cesaro to pick him up like Hogan did Andre, it was unexpected and cool. Cesaro looked a little shocked as the statue was presented to him. JBL asked if he could lift it, and I blurted out “Dude, Cesaro can lift!”, and he easily picked it up to another pop from the crowd. Easily the biggest moment of his career, and may never be usurped. Sadly his victory did not lead him down the path to greatness, as Vince thought it was “smart” to turn him heel and strip him of the giant swing. Sigh!
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (w/ Harper & Rowan)
Emimen’s song “Legacy” was used for the video package. Bray Wyatt entered with a live version of his entrance theme; the band dressed up for the occasion as well. As for the buildup, I never understood how Cena’s legacy was on the line, it’s not like it was a career-threatening match. It’s not like if Wyatt won anyone would think any more, or less of Cena. Essentially this was Bray’s biggest match to date, and even in defeat he was going over.
What was odd about this feud was the psychology. Bray continued to goad Cena in to “being evil” and get himself disqualified. While Bray’s storytelling was good, Cena’s reactions were cheesy and annoying. When Bray was asking Cena to attack him at the beginning, Cena kept asking him to “get up”, like he was a wooden super hero from the 1920’s. Throughout the match I was thinking about how I would see this if I was a kid who loved John Cena, and how afraid I would be of Wyatt and his minions. I came to the conclusion the match was for the kids more than anyone else. it was going to be the good guy overcoming the evil swamp monsters.
Strangely, after a decent flurry of offense from both sides, the pace slowed considerably with headlocks. Cena tried for the 5-knuckle shuffle, but Wyatt did the spider sit-up thing for the first time and freaked him out. Wyatt’s facial expressions made it far more watchable. Wyatt played to the crowd by singing “He’s got the whole world, in his hands”, which got them swaying as well. Funny how the heel got more of a babyface reaction than the babyface; but it’s Cena so that’s normal I guess. Cena picked up the steel steps for no reason and thought about crushing Wyatt with it, but then decided not to, much to the displeasure of most.
Cena’s mannerisms were annoying as he wrestled with his conscience. Should I destroy Wyatt and abandon everything I am? Or should I be the good guy and defeat him as I always do? Answer is; no one bloody cares! — So the minions interfered a bit, but that didn’t matter cos’ Super Cena put an end to it. Wyatt awkwardly set Cena up for Sister Abigail’s kiss, but Cena got out of it. Wyatt got a chair and handed it to Cena and told him to use it on him. Ok, we all know Cena isn’t going to do the wrong thing and lose his “entire legacy” over one match with no stipulations.
Cena used the chair on an interfering Rowan instead. Bray tried to use the distraction to his advantage, but Cena countered in to an AA for the victory, and therefore, kept his legacy intact. Probably a nice match for the kiddies who love to see Cena overcome the odds. As for the rest of us, we were probably asking why Wyatt didn’t go over and keep the dynamic of Cena “wrestling with doing the right thing” til the next PPV. One good thing though, at least it kept Cena away from the main event. Not a bad match, but not an instant classic either. Somewhere in the middle.
The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) – Streak vs. Beast
This one’s likely to spark discussion in the comments section. The continuing “should the streak have been broken?” question that remains controversial ito this day. I have to be honest, I didn’t see it coming, and it’s hard to say anyone saw it coming. It was Vince McMahon’s decision, and it was a controversial one we could argue til we’re blue in the face.
The build wasn’t great, unless you include the last stretch when Heyman added his mighty mic skills to sell Streak vs. Beast. The video package with Heyman explaining the feud was highly entertaining. I honestly believe the build was purposely lackluster to give the fans a false sense of security. To make the fans believe there was no way Lesnar would end the streak; but he would come close regardless. That’s what I thought as well, when I watched two years ago I never once thought Lesnar was ending the streak. Dumb really, considering his credentials.
The match wasn’t brilliant either, and I mostly blame Undertaker for that. He looked old, smaller, and his movement was limited. The complete opposite of Lesnar, who looked like he could dismantle the entire roster on his own without breaking a sweat. The crowd were dead throughout, either because they were waiting for The Undertaker to get the upper hand (he spent most of match on the floor), or they were content and had no worries he would beat Brock.
JBL was already calling the end of the streak halfway through. Cole asked JBL why he was calling the match so soon, The crowd were so quiet you could easily hear Heyman’s pep talks. After two F-5s the crowd still expected Taker to recover and beat him. Undertaker didn’t manage many of his trademark moves unlike previous encounters. We didn’t get to see Old School as it was countered both times. Lesnar slowed the pace, and his throws looked dangerous. After Brock beat him down in the corner, Taker hit the Last Ride for two.
Taker soon hit the only Tombstone in the match (with Lesnar’s head nowhere near the canvas) for 2. Another attempt was countered in to a third F5. Quick count by the ref, 1-2-3. Streak over. 21-1. Heyman immediately jumped in the ring with an expression of manic disbelief. You could literally see the fans jaws drop as they tried to make sense of it. Lesnar’s music finally played as Heyman told Lesnar he had done it. Lesnar was announced the winner to a highly negative reaction. Lesnar made his way out as the fans remained dumbstruck.
The Undertaker finally woke up and sold the offense. He stood in the ring as the fans chanted “Thank You Taker”. One random guy shouted “You suck”, which was either funny or offensive depending where you stand. Undertaker looked dazed and confused as he slowly made his way to the back, and reluctantly disappeared in to the mist.
My thoughts are mixed. I remember reading the reaction to Bruno Sammartino’s historic championship loss, which left an arena of fans dumbstruck. Never had I felt the same thing, til that night. I grew up watching The Undertajker winning every year at Wrestlemania; it was tradition. No matter what had happened in life, or in wrestling, you could rely on The Undertaker to win at Wrestlemania. I never though the streak would end, so when it happened in the way it did, I didn’t know what to think.
At first I thought it was because he was retiring. Or perhaps he wanted the streak to end so he didn’t feel obligated. Perhaps it wasn’t his decision, and he was being professional by putting Lesnar over. At the same time I felt it needed to be done so if he ever did retire, the fans wouldn’t continue to ask about The Streak. While I knew I had to respect the decision, I simply didn’t want to.
It was a very distracting experience; it was difficult to focus on the rest of the show. Looking back on it, I’m glad it ended the way it did. Wrestling can provoke many emotions, and on this occasion it gave us disbelief, sadness, anger, and respect (for The Undertaker) on a grand scale. While some will argue it should have had better build, or someone else should have beaten him, I believe the build was purposely deceptive, and Lesnar was the only guy who could take the heat and gain the most from it.
And while I look back and wish the streak had continued, I realized The Streak was just a booking decision. The Undertaker made The Streak special through hard work and unbelievable passion. I don’t think we will ever see anything like it in wrestling again, at least, not in our lifetime. So I’ll leave you to ponder, and some of you may come to the conclusion that breaking the streak was the right thing to do, while others will oppose it, but however you see it, the end of The Streak remains the most shocking match in wrestling history.
Vickie Guerrero Invitational match for the WWE Divas Championship
The streak ending killed the crowd, so I felt sorry for the Divas. They were used to filling the gap between main events, but on this occasion it was a true test, Vickie got on the microphone to insult AJ Lee, and cackle, which got zero reaction. The fans were still in disbelief as the match started, Participants included AJ Lee (c), Aksana, Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Cameron, Emma, Eva Marie, Layla, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae, and Tamina Snuka.
First woman to get a pinfall or submission. JBL buried the match right away by saying it had no sense of direction. Typical battle royal scenario for the first few minutes. The match came to life a bit as The Bellas hit a double suicide dive on the outside on most of the Divas. Nikki and Brie left in the ring, and they eventually got in each others face and started fighting; to no reaction.
In the second half there were some good moves though. Many of the Divas rushed in, suplexed each other, and hit their trademarks. Had they not followed The Streak ending it may have got a better reaction. In the end, AJ Lee sneaked in after spending most of the match on the floor to lock the Black Widow in on Naomi (to a decent pop), and forced her to tap out.
While the first half was largely ignored by everyone, they did get in to it a little in the second half, and the ending ensured the match delivered as intended. You could argue AJ Lee’s popularity managed to build a small bridge between the two main events, and she went over on the Divas Division in the process.
Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Rev Theory played Randy Orton in with a live version of his entrance theme. It was performed well, but the song is mind-numbingly repetitive. Orton got an OK heel reaction. Batista entered to a much more solid heel reaction, and his face told the story; he didn’t want to be there. Daniel Bryan entered and brought the fans back to life with a Yes! chant using the only arm he had left.
Bryan was dumped early and the crowd went back to being dead as the “originally scheduled main event” of Orton vs. Batista began. I’m not going to say much more, as I will provide a video for those who watched the Bryan vs. Triple H match from earlier. Needless to say, it’s a main event which saved the show after an unbelievable end to The Streak, and the biggest players involved were Daniel Bryan, Triple H, and Stephanie. Orton and Batista played their parts, but they were mostly afterthoughts (even commentary admitted the champion had become one) used to stack the odds against Bryan.
Bryan’s popularity saved the show, and gave the fans the best ending they could ask for. While some remained dumbstruck over The Streak ending, at least they got to see a happy ending with Daniel Bryan. Smart booking I have to say. I’m going to wrap this up by saying Wrestlemania XXX is one of the best all-round Wrestlemanias ever. While there were no five-star matches, all the matches delivered in some way, and the time flew by. I was thoroughly entertained, and I highly recommend it to anyone who never saw it for some reason.
I would like to dedicate this article to The Ultimate Warrior and his family, to Daniel Bryan’s career and his future family, and finally, Connor Michalek, the little boy who got to see his hero win the big one. Ending my thoughts of Wrestlemania XXX with this quote:
WrestleMania Series Conclusion
The Wrestlemania series was a continuous series of articles sharing my experiences from each Wrestlemania. From early on, I decided not to include a rating system, and at times, completely ignore particular matches if I had nothing to say about them. The articles did not guarantee detailed play-by-play of each match or segment. After requests from readers, I made my final thoughts on matches and PPVs more clear. Over time I adopted better ways of writing and presenting, so I have learned a lot, not just in terms of Wrestlemania history, but in the way I present articles as well.
Most of the fun came from watching each Wrestlemania; usually on a Tuesday evening with my Dad or friend. Wrestlemania has changed over the years, so much so it’s hard to say if it’s become consistently better than the early days. While production values drastically rose, the booking has always been hit-and-miss; it’s rare to see two great Wrestlemanias back-to-back. The event has also seen excessive use of celebrities and live performances which usually only receive criticism from wrestling fans, as they tend to pander to the casual fan who only watch Wrestlemania because their friend/family member happens to be watching.
I’m going to return to each article and make two additional pieces highlighting the Best and Worst of Wrestlemania at a later date. I started the series back in April 2015, and as we head towards Fast Lane, I feel the relief of knowing I finished what I started before Wrestlemania 32. Sorry everyone, but I will not be doing the same thing for the Royal Rumble, Summerslam, or any PPV as it’s far too much effort. I’ll be moving on to other things, and I hope you continue to enjoy the ride as much as I enjoy your company. Thanks for reading.
