History was made at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last night (April 7), as three women battled it out in the main event of WrestleMania for the first time ever. Everything was on the line, with Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair putting their Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships on the line respectively.
Of course, this wasn't the only big bout of the night, with all titles up for grabs at various points, a Hall of Famer waving goodbye to his in-ring career, and more. Here's everything that went down at WrestleMania 35, and our thoughts on each and every moment...
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Tony Nese vs. Buddy Murphy (c)
Result: Tony Nese defeats Buddy Murphy (c) to become the new Cruiserweight Champion
This was a brilliant way to kick off the night, with Nese and Murphy showcasing their incredible athleticism with high risk maneuvers include an inverted spike rana from Nese, and a jumping knee which resulted in the execution of Murphy's Law from his opponent. Despite looking like he was going to retain, Nese landed near the ropes and managed to drape his foot over one of them before mounting a comeback and delivering the Running Nese for the victory.
Women's Battle Royal
Result: Carmella is the last woman standing
There are thousands of people angry at the use of Asuka in the WWE lately, and it's easy to see why. Still, it's nice to see former champ and opportunist Carmella add this accolade to her resumé. She is without a doubt deserving of doing so well, after spending so many years as the third wheel in the Enzo and Big Cass stable. It'll be interesting to see if she's handed any big opportunities in the future as a result of this match.
Raw Tag Team Championships Match: The Revival (c) vs. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Result: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeat The Revival (c) to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions
Hawkins' losing streak had to come to an end at some point, and what better place to do it than on the Grandest Stage of 'em All? The Revival have been publicly ripping the company they work for, for some time now, despite being given a championship run. This feels like it may have been the pair's swansong, which would be a real shame, but perhaps unavoidable.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Result: Braun Strowman is the last man standing
This was one of the most predictable results of the night, but it didn't stop the audience from having fun at the expense of Saturday Night Live hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che. Seeing them flung around by Strowman was still a sight to behold, despite them being a random celebrity duo to perhaps bring in some SNL viewers on the night.
Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins
Result: Seth Rollins defeats Brock Lesnar (c) to become the new Universal Champion
Following Alexa Bliss and Hulk Hogan's introduction to the night, Paul Heyman stomped on down to the ring and demanded that the Universal Championship match take place immediately, if his client Lesnar wasn't going to be the last bout of the night. Lesnar's theme music hit, and it wasn't long before Rollins was walking down the long ramp in his attempts to slay the Beast. Before the bell could even ring however, Lesnar rained down an onslaught against his challenger. Rollins' back was immediately bruised and battered, showing signs of swelling and cuts after he was thrown through a section of an announce table. Once the match got underway however, he was able to flip the script, low-blowing Lesnar out of the sight of the referee, and delivering three Curb Stomp finishers to take the three count, and the gold. It was the perfect way to end the stranglehold Lesnar has had on the red brand.
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
Result: AJ Styles defeats Randy Orton
This match was a stellar one, but was hindered by the fact that some fans couldn't see a thing that was going on inside the squared circle. Chants of 'turn the lights out' threatened to steal the spotlight, but those working behind-the-scenes managed to bring the issues to an end before the battle was over. Orton looked set to deliver a surprise RKO on a number of occasions, but a springboard Phenomenal Forearm to the Viper outside of the ring, followed up by a second inside the ring, allowed him to pin the former champion and score the victory.
Fatal 4-Way for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Result: The Usos (c) defeat The Bar, Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura, Aleister Black and Ricochet to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Black and Ricochet threatened to steal the show here, putting on another incredible display following their match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Though they didn't pick up the win and their first titles on the main roster, this didn't do any damage at all to their reputation. The same can be said for The Bar; Sheamus delivered a mighty number of strikes to the chest of his opponents whilst they stood on the side of the ring, all whilst his partner Cesaro showed Ricochet his best ever Cesaro Swing, rotating over 30 times in the centre. Rusev and Nakamura unfortunately didn't get too many spots to shine, but the retaining Champions showcased exactly why they're now the only tag team in history to walk into WrestleMania with the tag title gold three years on the bounce.
Falls Count Anywhere Match: The Miz vs. Shane McMahon
Result: Shane McMahon defeats The Miz
If you've ever wanted to see what a real Falls Count Anywhere match should look like in WWE, then look no further. This was one of the most impressive brawls we've seen from Superstars in a long time, with McMahon taking a whole host of big bumps to help keep Miz over with the crowd. Bouncing off the top of a golf buggy, as well as that jaw-dropping superplex which ended the match, are WrestleMania moments that'll stick with fans forever. It just so happened that when the two landed, McMahon was on top of Miz, with the latter's shoulders down. This secured 'The Greatest in the World' the victory.
Fatal 4-Way for the Women's Tag Team Championships
Result: The IIconics defeat Nia Jax and Tamina, Beth Phoenix and Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley (c) to become the new Women's Tag Team Champions
It was the result many of us wanted, but none of us thought we were going to get! Finally, female Australian WWE Superstars are holding titles! What better way to allow the IIconics to showcase their charm and opportunistic scheming than allowing them to score a pinfall victory in one of the night's most shocking bouts. Banks and Bayley were firm favourites to hold onto their gold, but a sly tap in on Phoenix from Kay allowed the IIconics to cement their place in history. Let's hope that their reign is a great one, and that they'll have a brilliant rivalry with some babyface pairings moving forward.
WWE Championship Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
Result: Kofi Kingston defeats Daniel Bryan (c) to become the new WWE Champion
Yet another title change took place after one of the finest matches of the night. Kingston has had one of the most startling rises to the top of the company in the past couple of months, and there's without a doubt no other man more deserving on the roster. Seeing him pick up this victory without shenanigans and keeping the New Day together, without any heel turns out of jealousy or malice, was the right choice on the night. Kingston got his WrestleMania moment, and shared it not only with his best friends, but his kids. Expect to see a lot of that new merch worn on Tuesday night's episode of SmackDown!
United States Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Result: Samoa Joe (c) defeats Rey Mysterio to retain the United States Championship
The only thing smart about this match was where it was placed on the card. Squashing a future Hall of Famer in the way Joe did here does nobody any favours. It made Mysterio look weaker than he ever has in his career, and took away from Joe's debut WrestleMania moment.
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
Result: Roman Reigns defeats Drew McIntyre
Not many of us thought we'd be seeing Reigns at WrestleMania 35, so to have the Big Dog reclaim his yard in a brutal match against McIntyre was a glorious thing to behold. The pair share some brilliant chemistry in the ring, so it'll be interesting to see if their feud continues moving forward. Whatever the case may be, the two are over with the crowd right now, which is a sign of great storytelling.
Ladies and Gentleman... The Doctor of Thuganomics
Elias couldn't miss out on his WrestleMania moment, so he hit the ring for a concert like never before. Pre-recorded videos showed him playing piano and the drums, whilst he plucked at his strings live and had the audience enthralled. Where they really popped however, was with the return of John Cena's gimmick, the Doctor of Thuganomics. He hit the ring to ruin Elias' night, delivering a successful Five Knuckle Shuffle and the FU (now renamed the Attitude Adjustment!). A funny little segment that kicked off the final section of the night.
No Holds Barred: Triple H vs. Batista
Result: Triple H defeats Batista
With Triple H's career on the line, nobody actually thought Batista was going to come through and win this match. Still, there were some real heart-stopping near falls for the WWE Executive. This was a truly violent match which saw Triple H wrench Batista's nose ring from his face, and delivered a sledgehammer blow to the side of the face. A real throwback to the Attitude Era, and one both competitors should be immensely proud of.
Farewell Match: Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin
Result: Baron Corbin defeats Kurt Angle
A strange bit of booking for Angle's last ever match, but one that the Olympian likely had a big hand in himself. It's probable that Angle is a big fan of Corbin, and wanted to put him over on wrestling's biggest night. Now, Corbin can go forward and be one of the most defining villains on Monday Night Raw.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. The Demon Finn Bálor
Result: The Demon Finn Bálor defeats Bobby Lashley (c) to become the new Intercontinental Champion
Seeing The Demon after so long was very welcome. Bálor was on fire throughout, never really allowing Lashley any time to breathe. The former Intercontinental Champ should never have dropped the belt back to Lashley, so to see him with the title wrapped back around his waist was a great sight. Hopefully, he'll hold onto it for a bit longer this time round!
Triple Threat Winner-Takes-All All-Female Main Event
Result: Becky Lynch defeats Charlotte Flair (c) and Ronda Rousey (c) to become both the Raw Women's Champion and the SmackDown Women's Champion
So came the moment we were all waiting for. History was made as three women stepped inside the ring to main event WrestleMania for the first time ever. Flair arrived in a helicopter, leaving us all gobsmacked, whilst the awesome Joan Jett sang live for Rousey's entrance. Lynch's entrance was far more reserved, with the challenger for both titles simply given some steam jets. It was perfect; she's not somebody who (based on the narrative) the company would pay a huge chunk of budget on. Major spots were littered throughout this match. It's a shame Flair didn't go through the table completely towards the end of the bout, and that the shoulders up pinfall ending felt so strange, but to see Lynch finally hoist those titles above her head was heartwarming. She's been working towards this moment for so long, and is incredibly deserving.
WrestleMania 35 is available to watch now in its entirety on the WWE Network
Tagged in WWE