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Tonight's Wrestlemania coverage is sponsored by our friends at Highspots, your home for pro wrestling merchandise and signed items, including their interactive autograph signings at HighspotsAuctions.com. They will be presenting the third and final day of Wrestlecon tomorrow in Philly as well!
It’s here, SHOWTIME!
Michael Cole welcomed us, showed some entrances and then we went to Meek Mill’s Mania video.
The visual of the stadium is impressive. Philly represents! It’s 52 degrees with wind. I know what that feels like….cold!
Coco Jones sang the national anthem. She did a great job and fired the crowd up. They serenaded her with a USA chant.
Then Triple H’s music played and the crowd went ballistic. They know who the Booker Of The Year is. He came out, closed his eyes for a minute and took it all in.
Cole mentioned that he is joined at ringside by Corey Graves and Pat McAfee. He said that he feels that this should be known as the Triple H Era in WWE. He’s right on the money.
H got in the ring and mugged for the crowd. He seemed to look around in appreciate of what they have built to this year. The fans went nuts for him. He said, “Man, I live for this”. He welcomed us to a new time, a new era and then welcomed us to WRESTLEMANIA!
H let and off we go. We are opening with Becky Lynch challenging Rhea Ripley for her Title.
They played Becky reading from her book before she came out. Big pop for her entrance. Cole noted that she has been sick all week long.
Rhea came out to Motionless In White doing her song live. That was quite a visual. Rhea is super fired up walking to the ring.
Cole said that Samantha Irvin was awesome on the ring intros. He is right. Cole told us that Becky has Strep Throat and her temperature has reached 102 this week. Sheesh, she is tougher than me.
Becky’s outfit has words all over, I would guess from her book.
You can see the wind blowing Rhea’s hair. Fun times for them I am sure.
First big spot came when Rhea was up top to do the frog splash but Becky did an arm drag instead. That didn’t keep Rhea down for long, but Becky got a two off of a Tornado DDT.
Becky is on the offense now. She isn’t showing any signs of being ill.
Becky is now going to work on the wrist that Rhea is wearing a brace on. But Becky came off the rope and Rhea caught her, dumped her and blasted her in the face with a knee, getting a two count.
Becky cam back and tried to lock in the Armbar on the bad arm. Rhea powered her up and hit two powerbombs, followed by a sit out powerbomb, Two count only.
Rhea blasted her with a boot but only got a two. She is selling frustration now.
They got up and are throwing hands. Rhea did a head butt and charged the corner but Becky moved. Becky locked on the Disarmer in the ropes. She dropped a leg but Rhea turned it into the Prison Trap. Becky kept trying to get to the ropes but when Rhea pulled her back, the crowd popped. They are for Rhea. Becky managed to roll her up so Rhea had to break it.
Rhea went for Riptide but Becky turned it into a Manhandle. Two count only! Rhea managed to hit Riptide but Becky kicked out at two and Rhea is shocked.
Becky played possum in the ring and took Rhea out when she went to the top rope. Becky hit a Superplex into the Disarmer. The crowd is vocal with lots of nos. Rhea did an Electric Chair on the floor. She put Becky in the ring and his a Frog Splash, but Becky kicked out at two.
Rhea is mad now. She is on the second rope but Becky fired back. She went for a Manhandle but Rhea powered out and did a Riptide into the buckle, then another to the mat. 1-2-3, Rhea is your champ, which is the right call. Rhea is THE star. She held up the belt to applause from the crowd to start the show. Great match to star the show.
Time for the Demolition Derby as The Judgment Day defend their tag team titles in a ladder match.
The played The Awesome Truth’s music for The New Catch Republic. Ouch. Champs were out last.
Both sets of belts must be retrieved for the match to end. What if one team gets one set and another gets the other? Beats me.
They all took the champs out first and then all tried to get up the ladder. After a crash and burn, The New Day was all alone but then the champs came on and cleaned house.
Tyler Bate grabbed Finn, who was holding a ladder. So Bate airplane spun them both. Then did a regular one and dumped Balor on a ladder. Ouch. NCR then climbed a ladder on the floor and did dual moonsaults and wiped everyone out.
Priest WIPED out NCR in a sick spot that looked painful.
The champs were in charge when Truth suddenly showed up and wanted a tag. Of course he did! It worked. Truth cleaned house and went for a pin. He thought he won. Miz had to explain the rules to him. They worked with DIY to take out the champs.
Truth said each team should go up and grab a set of belts. They did and got wiped out by A Town Down. They got the Smackdown belts and were announced as the new Smackdown champs, so we have our answer. NCR destroyed Waller onto a ladder so it looks like the belts won’t be unified any longer.
DIY went and set up tables at ringside, which of course got a pop.
New Day put Ciampa on a prone ladder. Woods did a springboard elbow that looked like it was painful to both. This is mayhem.
As New Day were the only two in the ring they climbed up and Kofi wiped out everyone on the floor but Theory came in from the other side and wiped out Woods. NCR took Theory out and Johnny did a sick DDT over the top that put Duane through a table below. Bate and Ciampa were up on the ladder when Ciampa hit a SICK Air Raid crash from almost the top. Truth was about to get the belts when JD McDonagh came in and dumped him. JD dragged Balor in. He helped Balor up the ladder but Woods stopped him from behind. Kofi brought in a chair and wiped out Finn. Then they pushed JD off of the ladder throw the two tables on the floor. Kofi went up but Priest did a kick and Woods got wasted with a chair to the head. Oh man. He then did the Edge on Kofi and slowly went up. Miz climbed up. Priest went for South but they both kind of fell off. That went badly.
Truth gave Priest a ladder but he was working Damien. He wiped him out and did an AA on him to the floor. Truth went up to the top and grabbed the belts. The crowd went nuts. What a great end to the Truth-Judgment Day story plus for the first time in his career, Truth gets a win at Mania. Truth looked to be really emotional up on the ladder and Miz loved that he was.
This is exactly what you would expect it to be. There were sick bumps that should ONLY be done on the biggest show of the year. It was a wild spectacle and I hope no one got hurt too much because a lot of what they did looked painful.
Please click to Page 2 for more thoughts from tonight's show!
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