WWE WrestleMania 35 - Monday 8th April 2018, 9am AEST

[Filthy Sanchez]

Going into that match The Miz had been the "true" champion of Raw for most of the previous year, with his focus being around the IC title while Brock was away. During that time The Miz had feuded individually against the other members of The Shield (Ambrose and then Reigns), plus was supposed to face a reunited Shield at TLC that year. The Miz was seen as a legit main event heel at the time--even defeating Roman Reigns at Raw 25. As The Miz thought he was soo good he claimed he should be the REAL main event of Wrestlemania instead of Lesnar/Reigns because he's on Raw every week ---- go back and watch The Miz's promos from that time, they were really good.

While his opponents in Finn Balor & Seth Rollins were having a friendly "Who's best" competition weekly on Raw for the two months leading up to Wrestlemania-- from their double pin result leading to a 7-man elimination chamber, to their amazing segment of the Gauntlet match the week before Elimination Chamber; then both men trying to one-up each other against The Miz and then The Miztourage in the lead up to Wrestlemania.

Basically-- The Miz wanted to be respected as the "true" champion while both Balor & Rollins wanted to prove that they were the best on Raw as well. IMO this was a better example of the Raw main event at Wrestlemania 34 than Brock/Roman.

Probably not the best example of a match from a recent Wrestlemania in regards to storylines

How did any of that storyline play out in the match? Also “I want to go on last” or “I want to prove I’m the best” is like default in wrestling and is a given in any match, that isn’t an actual storyline. I stand by my claim that Jericho was an actual character back in 09 unlike Bálor, Rollins or Miz

 

[Nugett]

One of the WrestleMania moments (before the term turned into branding) that people loved and more to the point still remember is Linda McMahon of all people standing up from a chair in 2001. That's it, she stood up. It's remembered because it meant something. Months of storylines and other characters made an old woman standing mean something.

WrestleMania now has characters that you can't describe without saying what they look like and what gear they wear. Because they don't really have a character. Cesaro? He's Swiss and agitated? Why's he agitated? No idea, we never find out and have a story that sheds light on who Cesaro is. Cut up the Cesaro matches and nobody can tell you what makes Cesaro from this year different from Cesaro in that year. We'd be talking about the colour of his tights.

To be fair on Cesaro, his shoot interview after the 2016 draft was a great reflection on who is. Cracked the shits after being asked how Mick Foley and Steph would work. It was a great interview. I think that if he was around in the attitude/ruthless aggression era’s he would have stood out more than what he does. Being saddled with Sheamus for the past 2-3 years hasn’t helped him either. They stuffed his momentum after he won the Andre battle royal. Would love to see him leave, and see how he goes in AEW tbh. As he is wasting his time in WWE.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Also “I want to go on last” or “I want to prove I’m the best” is like default in wrestling

Brock wanted to go on first.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

To be fair on Cesaro, his shoot interview after the 2016 draft was a great reflection on who is. Cracked the shits after being asked how Mick Foley and Steph would work. It was a great interview. I think that if he was around in the attitude/ruthless aggression era’s he would have stood out more than what he does. Being saddled with Sheamus for the past 2-3 years hasn’t helped him either. They stuffed his momentum after he won the Andre battle royal. Would love to see him leave, and see how he goes in AEW tbh. As he is wasting his time in WWE.

Was this interview on Raw or SmackDown?

 

[Nugett]

So pleased to see so many people emphasising storytelling and characters over spots and outcomes.

I pointed this out years ago on here after one of the Manias people were also content with; people can say “Wrestlemania 25 only has one match that makes it good” well go back to that card and you’ll see every match had a storyline most of which had been built up since the Royal Rumble.

Does that make it an amazing Wrestlemania top to bottom? No. But it does mean people cared about things like the Jericho handicap match and as bomberboy says, people will remember that Jericho “hypocrite/parasite” character a lot more than they remember Seth Rollins beating internet favourites Miz and Bálor in a triple threat last year (honestly I had to look up that result, does anyone remember it a year on? What was the storyline going into that match?)

Also someone like Vicky Guerrero had more heat back then than any probably any heel on the roster right now. That should give you an idea on what’s important in pro wrestling.

Agree that is what made steamboat and savage at WM3 so great. It was great storytelling from way out. You first had savage with the ring bell across Steamboats throat, add in George the animal Steele, who had a thing for Elizabeth, dating back to WM2, followed by a tremendous match at the time.

 

[Nugett]

Was this interview on Raw or SmackDown?

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Neither. Doesn't count.

 

[The Speaker]

Cesaro's problems on the main roster have very little to do with Cesaro.

 

[Nugett]

Neither. Doesn't count.

Fair enough, character work on the main rosters is a rarity these days.

 

[Senor M]

Was this interview on Raw or SmackDown?

It was on the WWE Network-- they aired a "Draft" show alongside the Live Smackdown draft.