WWE Backstage brings the full panel back for more!
Drew McIntyre wasn’t the only first-time world champion. Another big winner was BRAUN, who stepped up when Roman Reigns could not compete. How does the Monster Among Men make the most of this sudden opportunity? Booker says that for Strowman not originally in the match, you gotta seize the opportunity when opportunity knocks. Booker remembers that when he got his first title, it was because Rick Martel forgot his boots! The company decided to put the title on Booker and Booker was all for it. Booker was happy to be Television Champion, but he was also upset because he would’ve liked it to be for different reasons. But in the end, it doesn’t matter, because it means having “a chip in the game now.” He kept moving and dared others to take the title off him. Braun needs to do the same thing now.
Christian says Booker is right. You never know when opportunities will come along, so you take them when you can. When Edge retired, Christian had to step into his spot. You can’t overthink it, you just have to go with it. And Braun knows the WWE Universal Championship wasn’t his spot. If he had a chip on his shoulder before, now that chip’s bigger. Braun just has to prove to himself and everyone else that he was the right choice to put in there, and should have been champion from the start. Renee adds that’s probably a big chip given Braun’s a big man.
As for Paige, she says all of WrestleMania was rather nostalgic. She grew up in the WWE with a lot of these people. Braun is in fact the gentlest giant in the world. She remembers him being in promo class with Dusty Rhodes, wearing a diaper and bear ears. That proved to her that he’d be a star! Braun is fun, is brave to step out of comfort zones and puts himself out there, which is what happened here. He was given his chance, took it and ran with it. Paige is very proud and happy for him, because he deserves it. Renee agrees, it is great to see that WrestleMania moment.
But moving on to another moment, it was the friendship broken apart until there was just one last man standing. That is of course, THE Last Man Standing match. “Good God.” Edge’s first match since WrestleMania 27 and it was brutal! Christian says the build was a master class in conveying emotion. Even with no crowd, the home audiences were hanging on every word of the promos. The match was what it needed to be: a kickass, hard-hitting, physical fight. Everyone at home surely cringed with every hit or drop. Oddly enough, Edge did not change his style with jumping off that platform to crash through a table. But the big takeaway is that Edge’s music hitting and him walking down the ramp was one of the greatest moments ever.
Paige says that was HER main event. She was super excited because both men are among the best storytellers in the business today. Those two together is magic. Paige really wished that there was a crowd, of course, but Edge and Orton still told such a beautiful story. It was incredible, she could never say anything bad about it. Booker says that Edge is back and put himself through hell just to get here. And again, of course we all would’ve liked different circumstances, especially Edge and Orton. But the fans still got a great taste of this feud, and there might even be a main course coming. Renee adds that the storytelling in the build was great, but the WWE 24 special about Edge was so good! Paige doesn’t want spoilers, so Renee suggests everyone go watch that. It just went so well leading into Night 2.
And now, moving from intense to eye-catching, it’s the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match! Imagine doing a ladder match with no audience. Christian has been in a LOT of Ladder Matches, but never one with no one around. He did like to go to the arena the night before to get a feel for the ladders and the ring. When he climbed the ladder at that time, there was no one there. You feel the height, and it gets scary. That must’ve been how it was for John Morrison, Kofi Kingston and Jimmy Uso. Kudos to them for staying in the moment and creating something special.
Booker says that when he watched this, he actually turned the sound down. He watched the action alone, and the action alone had him going nuts. All three put everything on the line for the show and the fans. If there were fans live, those fans would not be able to contain themselves. That’s how good that match was. Christian is a ladder expert, especially with the high spots, so surely they’re in agreement.
Renee says it was also a friendly reminder that Morrison is a great return. Paige never had a ladder match, and certainly never one with no fans. Walking out, everyone wants to feed off the energy but there wasn’t any. So to be up top knowing you’ll fall, the adrenaline blocks out the worry because the crowd is so loud. But then it’s crickets, and you pause and think, “What now?” But those three didn’t let that get to them, it felt like there was still 80 thousand, and that made the match work.
