This is a live report from WWE Wrestlemania 31
The stadium looked awesome. I was seated close to the lower bowl facing the stage, but didn’t stay there all night (more on that later). I missed the Fatal Four-Way match since I was getting something to eat, but from talking to a few others in the crowd I heard good things.
The Andre the Giant Battle Royal was fun while it lasted. Massive cheers for Mizdow, he was the star in this match. There were lots of Hideo Itami chants and signs too. Ryback was really over. Big Show winning got a chorus of boos. Lots of people around me dropped f-bombs despite there being some little kids around.
Around showtime, Mick Foley waved to the crowd from a club suite and got a great reaction. Similarly, a little later (after the 1st match) Ronda Rousey actually entered the arena and passed right in front of us. This drew lots of cheers too. Somebody said Jeff Hardy was in a suite and waved, but I didn’t see it, so I’m skeptical on that. Great opening by Aloe Blacc and the fly-by over the stadium.
Ladder Match – Massive pop for Daniel Bryan (apart from one guy a couple rows behind who was booing the hell out of Bryan, which was a shock to me). Ziggler and Ambrose also got great reactions. Fantastic match – the Ambrose bump on the ladder was sick live. Bryan getting the win was great, and he showed good emotion after the match.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – Good match, the crowd really popped for Orton, which is surprising given his botched return storyline. The best thing about the match was the Curb Stomp – into RKO. Unbelievable, the crowd was speechless after it.
Sting vs. Triple H – Sting got a nice pop. I laughed out loud at Hunter’s bad Terminator outfit. Good match, but overbooked with the run-ins. Hulk Hogan being with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash surprised some people, they thought it was only two members of the NWO. The HBK Superkick got a lot of boos. Wrong finish here, the crowd wanted Sting to win.
Music Performance – Not bad, but then I like Travis Barker and Blink 182.
At this point I decided to move around. I walked to the field seating and stood near the ring.
Divas Match – The Divas look gorgeous in person. Okay match. The crowd seemed really into Paige. She got a good pop. Not many CM Punk chants for AJ Lee.
Rusev vs. John Cena – Great entrance for Rusev and Lana. At this point I saw Rick Rubin, and Brooke and Nick Hogan around there. I went back to my seats since I was tired of standing. Ok match – I thought Fastlane was better.
The Rock, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Ronda Rousey Segment – Awesome stuff, especially from Stephanie. Rock got the pop of the night, and Rousey was over with the crowd. Rock vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 32?
Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt – This alone was worth the price of admission. Seeing Taker’s entrance live was a treat. Great match with a few finishers. The crowd loved Taker winning.
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns – Lesnar’s entrance was unbelievable, and Heyman’s introduction put life back into the crowd after the Undertaker match. People were surprised that Lesnar bled so much and not Reigns. As the match got close to the end, I went back close to ringside since the crowd was all over in the field seating area. The place came unglued when Rollins’ music hit. It was awesome. His win and celebration also got a monster pop. After the match, Brock got a good babyface cheer and headed to the back. That was all, as the production guys came pretty soon to dismantle the ring.
Overall, it was a great WrestleMania with good matches and an awesome finish. I’m looking forward to seeing if the show appeared as good on TV as it did live.
Top 5 Pops – The Rock, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, Sting
Most Heat – Triple H/Stephanie, Roman Reigns, Big Show, Cena, Sting losing
