Color me shocked – I thought this card looked good on paper, and had potential to be a really good one. But, I damn sure didn’t foresee this being one of the greatest WrestleMania events of all time. I always criticize how we get caught up in the moment and want to immediately rank things, so I’m doing my best to avoid doing that. But, I want to call this a top three ‘Mania all time so so so bad. Anyway, there’s a lot to dissect from a weekend that surprised and delivered – so, let’s jump right in to my list of the best matches from WrestleMania 39 weekend!
The Top 10 Matches from WrestleMania 39
Honorable Mention: North American Championship Scramble – I guess the WWE calls ’em ‘Fatal 5-Way’ matches, but come on, we all know a good scramble when we see it. Saturday’s North American Championship was high octane action at its finest. Wes Lee looks like a superstar (so does Ilja Dragunov, in my opinion).
10. Brock Lesnar def. Omos – Hats off to Lesnar for this one. He was out there bumpin’ around Los Angeles for Omos, and even though he got the win and created that moment with the F5, they somehow made Omos look like a million bucks. That match was EXACTLY what it needed to be, it ruled, and it showed just how valuable Lesnar still is to the WWE. Got the crowd hot early, put on a hoss fight, and did a little star-making in the process.
9. Seth Rollins def. Logan Paul – From the jump, with those two entrances, we knew this match was going to be all spectacle, and it was. These guys delivered, and I continue to be so impressed by Paul’s ability in the ring. Even more so, wrestling has taken to this guy – did anyone else notice him yawning during Seth’s entrance? The guy gets it, and does the little things right. They ought to be working out a new deal to get him a few more matches.
8. Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka – Should anyone be surprised with these two? I mean, come on. Two of the best walking these days. That finish was something else, and don’t look now, but we got a new little streak going with Belair *eyeball emoji*. Belair is 3-0 at WrestleMania.
7. Men’s Tag Showcase – You had the big boys diving off the top rope. Angelo Dawkins absolutely de-cleated Braun Strowman. Ricochet was doing shooting stars from the heavens. It really caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting this match to go as hard as it did. A true ‘car crash’ match that brought some energy back into the building.
6. WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. The Usos – If you want to go ahead and call The Usos the greatest tag team of all time, go right ahead. Main eventing a WrestleMania only cemented that for me. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was our feel-good ‘babyfaces triumph’ moment of the weekend. The match was solid, but it was the moment that did it for me. Zayn getting his retribution, specifically on Jey Uso, and seeing them close the show with the belts raised high.
5. Hell in a Cell: Edge def. Finn Balor – These boys did the Hell in a Cell justice, man. That was one hell of an ass beater. They didn’t get too cute with it, and they let ’em settle the score in the ring. Those entrances were something else, too. I never thought I’d see the day when Russell Crowe was getting us hyped for demons fighting. Also, a gutsy performance from Balor, who HHH later confirmed at a press conference had to get staples right there in the ring in order to keep wrestling. That’s some real tough guy shit.
4. Rey Mysterio def. Dominik Mysterio – This match had it all. Man, in a way, it really felt like a love letter to the totality of professional wrestling. You had the drama in it – of course, it’s a father taking on his shithead son! But, the action itself was good. You had a little shenanigans going on with the involvement of The Judgment Day and the apparently newly-reformed LWO. The entrances were fantastic. And, it created more than a few ‘Mania moments – absolutely loved Rey taking the belt to Dom, and getting the family involved raised the stakes. There was a little something for everyone in this match, and to me, this is an example you can point to and say, “this is what wrasslin’ is all about, folks.“
3. Smackdown Womens Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Charlotte Flair – My match of the night on Night 1, Ripley and Flair put on one of the greatest Womens Championship matches of all time. The action was brutal, physical, and the finish was truly impressive. It made for a great moment with Ripley becoming the first female Grand Slam Champion, too. An all-timer.
2. Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre – Honestly, it was the match I was looking forward to the most heading into the weekend, and it absolutely delivered in spades. Just three big sweaty hogs beatin’ each other’s chests red on a Sunday night. I would’ve liked to have seen Sheamus get his Grand Slam championship, but I’m not going to complain about them putting Gunther over. This dude’s the future. Somehow, all three of these guys came out of this match looking like warriors. To me, it’s up there with the best Intercontinental Championship matches in WrestleMania’s history. Another star-maker on the weekend.
1. WWE Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes – I’m trying not to be prisoner of the moment here, but the way that match was laid out and the way the two thoroughbreds in the ring executed upon it, man…it’s hard for me not to call that a top five ‘Mania main event all time. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve felt that compelled by a big time title match.
The internet is big mad about Reigns going over, and I guess if Cody is your cup of tea, I can understand why. But, I wasn’t really sold on Rhodes in this spot to begin with. I mean, you heard a fair share of boos whenever his name was called during the intros. There was a strong sect of wrestling Twitter saying Zayn should’ve been in that spot, and that Rhodes felt forced upon us. Are we really that sure he was as red hot as everyone thought he was? Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying he didn’t deserve to be in that spot, but I could reasonably see how the mixed reaction might give Triple H and company pause. Zayn was red hot. McIntyre was red hot. There’s a recurring thread here. That match was red hot last night, but the question that the WWE had to consider was ‘are they hot for Cody? Or, are they hot for the idea of Reigns losing?‘
I think it’s entirely possible that Rhodes was never their guy in this spot. There’s a lot of interesting stuff floating around out there about how his involvement in the launch of AEW might’ve impacted the main event. But, none of that is confirmed. On a basic level, I just wonder if they ever truly viewed Rhodes as the ultimate babyface that can carry the brand out of this monstrous title reign. He’s a new face, and there’s a strong contingent of wrestling fans who thought he’d be “the one.” WWE tapped into it for a highly emotional main event that delivered. What if that’s all it was?!?!
I also think they definitely want Reigns to get to a thousand days as champ and surpass Hulk Hogan. And, I’ve said it over and over for the past few months…mostly tongue-in-cheek because I didn’t think they’d ever actually pull the trigger on it, but nonetheless…the real money here is in Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso. I don’t know if that’s where they decide to go, but you could run that shit at SummerSlam and let the Bloodline storyline ride off into the sunset.
Ultimately, it was still an emotional, heartfelt battle between two guys who are at the peak of their game. Reigns didn’t beat Rhodes clean, and the decision to have Reigns go over felt like a refreshing departure from the usual coronation in that spot. Maybe that decision tarnishes the match for some, but for me, it changed nothing about its status as an instant classic and perhaps a top five WrestleMania main event all time. And, hey – as Triple H alluded to in the post-‘Mania press conference…maybe the story isn’t finished yet, after all.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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