WrestleMania 33 Report Card

As you all know, WrestleMania 33 is now officially in the books. Therefore, it's time for my report card.

Here is how the grading system will work:

Example: If a match is 5/10, it will get a C-

WrestleMania Kickoff

• Neville def. Austin Aries to retain the Cruiserweight Championship

This was the very first match to kick off the WrestleMania Pre-Show to showcase the talent of #205Live. I was hoping this match was saved for the 6 PM hour, but beggars can't be choosers. The match itself was very good and both Neville and Aries did their best based on the time they had for the match. Although it looked like Aries would dethrone the King of The Cruiserweights, it wasn't enough as Neville retained the title

Grade: B-

Reason for Grade: Had the match been on a non big 4 PPV, this would've got more time.

• Mojo Rawley wins the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This match was a huge clusterfuck to say the least. If anything, this match should have gone first instead of the Cruiserweight match. Many who thought Big Show or Braun Strowman would win were left disappointed as they were eliminated early in the match. My issue isn't Mojo Rawley winning the Battle Royal. It's how he won it. During the match, Jinder Mahal and Mojo exited the ring under the rope and brawled. Mojo's friend and New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was sitting ringside and yelling at Mahal during the brawl. Mahal proceeded to throw water at him, which led to Gronk interfering in the Battle Royal and costing Mahal the victory. At the end, the New England Patriots find a way to cheat at WrestleMania.

Grade: F

Reason: See the explanation above

• Dean Ambrose def. Baron Corbin to retain the Intercontinental Championship

I was not surprised this match was placed in the pre-show at the last minute since this match had barely any hype on #SDLive. Many, including myself would think that Baron Corbin would become the new Intercontinental Champion. However, that was not to be as Dean retained the title. The match itself was okay as there were a lot of commercial breaks in-between (which showed that WWE had very little interest in the match). Hopefully, there will be a title change this Tuesday on SmackDown Live.

Grade: C-

Reason for Grade: Time constraints and little effort from both competitors

Main Show

• AJ Styles def. Shane McMahon

I was one of those who didn't want this match to happen based on the rumors I read, but once I read an article from +IWNerd, I realized and understood why the match took place. If a wrestler has the honor to wrestle a McMahon, it shows that Vince has faith in that star. The hype heading into the match was that AJ Styles felt there was a conspiracy that SD Commissioner Shane McMahon and GM Daniel Bryan were out to screw him. The match surprised and exceeded my expectations as Shane was able to match AJ in the ring and was able to land a few submissions. At the end, Styles pins Shane and gets his 1st WrestleMania victory of his career.

Grade: A-

Reason for Grade: Those guys set the bar high for the rest of the talent to follow. I wish Daniel Bryan wasn't forced to retire due to concussions. It could've been Bryan vs Styles at WrestleMania.

• Kevin Owens def. Chris Jericho to become the NEW United States Champion

This match was months in the making. During the late summer/early fall of 2016, Jericho and Owens formed an alliance on Raw. The two had a lot of chemistry together as Jericho helped Owens retain the Universal Championship on various occassions. However, that all changed during the Festival of Friendship when Owens turned on Jericho. Jericho returned the favor by interfering in Owens' title match against Goldberg which led to Owens losing the Universal title. In return, Owens requested Jericho to put up his US Title at WrestleMania. The match was well paced and had a lot of back and forth. At the end, Owens finally sought his revenge as he defeats Jericho to win the US title.

Grade: B+

Reason for Grade: While it did not live up to the Shane/AJ hype, it managed to tell the story it developed for several months

• Bayley def. Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match to retain the Raw Women's Championship 

This match could've been a lot special had Charlotte retained the Women's title heading into WrestleMania and Bayley ending her PPV streak from there. However, due to impatient booking from Raw creative, it was diluted. Nonetheless, it was nice to see Charlotte and Sasha Banks fight for a title at WrestleMania in back to back years. It was also Bayley and Nia Jax's first ever WrestleMania. The matched started off with Nia Jax getting teamed up on before Nia goes for some offense. Nia Jax was the first to be eliminated in the match, therefore becoming a triple threat match. Sasha Banks was eliminated next, therefore Bayley and Charlotte were the final two remaining. At the end, Bayley defeats Charlotte to retain the title.

Grade: C+

Reason for Grade: Did not live up to the expectations from last year's women's match as well as diluted booking in the Raw women's division

Originally, this was a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Championship. However, this happened:

Yes, you heard it right. The Hardy Boyz returned to WWE in their #EXPEDITIONofGOLD to make it a Fatal 4 Way match. Therefore:

• Hardy Boyz DELETED The Club, Enzo & Cass, and Sheamus & Cesaro in a Fatal 4 Way Ladder Match to become the NEW Raw Tag Team Champions

I was too nostalgic and marked out like crazy since I never thought it would ever happen. Nonetheless, the Hardyz haven't missed a step and they look to put the Raw tag team division on notice.

Grade: B+

Reason for Grade: While the match itself wasn't too spectacular, it definitely got the crowd exciting. I just hope that BROKEN Matt doesn't get offended by the grade and this blog fades way and classifies itself as OBSOLETE.

• John Cena and Nikki Bella def. The Miz and Maryse in a Mixed Tag Match

The hype leading up to the match was spectacular. Cena and The Miz traded shots at each other and Maryse and Nikki did their part too. However, the match itself was a flop. It felt too one sided and fans who were in attendance already figured out that Cena and Nikki would win the match. I can understand that Nikki was wrestling hurt, but Cena and Miz could've put a longer match. At the end, Cena proposed to Nikki and the two left the stadium engaged.

Grade: D

Reason for Grade: Match did not live up to hype and felt way too silly

• Seth Rollins def. Triple H in a Non-Sanctioned Match

This match was years in the making ever since Seth got injured in late 2015. The two had history together as Seth was considered the guy by The Authority and was the top star of the company. However, due to injuries, Seth was forced to vacate the WWE Championship that time. Seth did return in the summer of 2016, but things were different as Triple H turned on Seth in an episode of Raw for the vacant Universal Championship match. Although the payoff didn't happen right away, Triple H finally responds after months of Seth bashing him. However, this match almost didn't happen due to Seth getting injured in the hands of Samoa Joe.

Nonetheless, Seth managed to recover and the two finally settled the score at WrestleMania. The match itself was okay since it was too dragged out. Understandable that it didn't push the envelope as Seth was fighting the flu before last night. However, this could've been a shorter match.

Grade: C+

Reason: While the match finally happened, the length was far too long and thus fans were losing interest in the match.

• Randy Orton def. Bray Wyatt to become the NEW WWE Champion

This match had a backstory since Orton won the Royal Rumble as a member of The Wyatt Family. However, Orton later turned on Bray and burned his house down on an episode of SDLive. Aside from the special effects that took place during the match, the match itself was really flat and uninspiring. Add the fact that the outcome was not necessary

Grade: C-

Reason: No need for Randy Orton to become WWE Champion again. Unless this leads to a bigger storyline down the road

• Brock Lesnar def. Goldberg to become the NEW Universal Champion

The hype leading up to the match was extremely low expectations from the fans due to the debacle of WrestleMania 20. However, it finally served a purpose and Brock Lesnar finally defeats Goldberg for the first time ever and wins the Universal Championship

Grade: C+

Reason for Grade: Short match, but exceeded expectations and it's better to have Lesnar as Universal Champion than Goldberg

• Naomi def. Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Natalya, and Mickie James to become the NEW SmackDown Women's Champion

Disregard the graphic. Originally, this was going to be a match in the kickoff, but due to fan revolt on social media, it all changed. Instead, it became the main event for the SmackDown brand of WrestleMania. This is considered historic that the women of SmackDown were moved to the co-main event of WrestleMania as it shows that WWE has faith in them. This was also the first WrestleMania for Alexa Bliss, Naomi, and Carmella. It was also the first WrestleMania for Mickie James since 2010. The match itself wasn't very long, but it served a purpose and Naomi finally gets her moment in her hometown of Orlando.

Grade: B-

Reason for Grade: Short match due to others going long, but the quality of the match served its purpose as mentioned before.

• Roman Reigns def. The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match

This match is considered the final match for The Undertaker. Originally, fans wanted Undertaker vs John Cena to be his last match, but that was not to be. Back at Survivor Series, Reigns eliminated The Undertaker which lead to Undertaker getting his revenge leading up to WrestleMania. While the match itself wasn't too spectacular, it served as a curtain call for The Undertaker and a passing of the torch to Roman Reigns. Which also means that fans now hate Roman Reigns more than ever. 

Grade: C+

Reason for Grade: I know I shouldn't be too hard on this match, but I have to be fair. It's not Reigns' fault for the match becoming lackluster as The Undertaker is now past his prime. If this is the end, I can say #ThankYouTaker.

Now, it's time for the final overall grade:

C+

WrestleMania 33 started out well in the first half, but fell flat and dragged in the second half. However, this is still better than last year's WrestleMania