The fabled Monday Night Wars changed a lot of things in wrestling. It led to the increased use of “hot-shots” – where a storyline that would have played out over the course of months is told in a matter of weeks. It led to the increase in pay-per-views across the board… and it also led to the assertion that “live matters”.
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WrestleMania weekend was big for NXT in more ways than one. Friday night’s Takeover: Dallas show ended up blowing WrestleMania out of the water as far as critical acclaim, whilst Baron Corbin finally made his main roster debut courtesy of the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Maybe Baron will stop being a moody so-and-so now he’s finally up there? Of course, there was more on Raw…
Whilst this weekend was undoubtedly headlined by WrestleMania – and with a WWE-record attendance in Dallas, how could it not – a lot of eyeballs were also directed towards the independent scene this weekend. Would they also make it big in Texas?
So, it’s been almost ten hours since WrestleMania came to it’s epic conclusion. Epic as in runtime, if nothing else. By the time we saw Roman Reigns win his third WWE title, the majority of the (legitimate) 93,000+ crowd in Dallas were left feeling drained, and wondering just what on earth they saw.
We’re barely 24 hours away from the start of the long weekend of wrestling, and thanks to WWE, NXT and the litany of independent promotions live-streaming shows, you’re spoiled for choice – but with all of this choice, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. So, what’s on each show that’s gotten me excited… and worried?
WrestleMania weekend kicks off for WWE on Friday night, with a NXT Takeover event that many feel will overshadow the big show itself. During last year’s WrestleMania festivities, NXT held a (non-televised) show that many felt should have received some coverage outside of Stephanie McMahon’s Periscope account.
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ll be aware that it’s WrestleMania weekend – but despite WWE’s best efforts to ensure that they are the only game in town, there are plenty of other shows ongoing that you’ll be able to watch in person and online. Just in case the three-hours of NXT, six-plus hours of WrestleMania as well as the Hall of Fame isn’t enough, we’re taking a quick look at some of the other events going down across the weekend – some of which we’ll be recapping once the dust has settled.
We’re on the home straight. This Sunday, over 85,000 fans will pack the AT&T Stadium near Dallas, Texas (regardless of whatever attendance number WWE announces), as the thirty-second WrestleMania comes to pay-per-view.