Rich Swann def. Ariya DaivariI thought the feud with Jack Gallagher a few months ago would help solidify Daivari as an upper-echelon heel in the division, but he's been utilized as an enhancement talent ever since it ended. Swann is a likable, charismatic competitor, but I found it difficult to care about this contest because I'm not interested in this love angle with Alicia Fox at all. It was well-wrestled from an in-ring standpoint, but it lacked meaning beyond that. Mustafa Ali def. Brandon ScottIt's apparent officials see something special in Ali, as they should because he's a hell of a talent. They'll give him a handful of victories every now and again and even showcase him on Raw on occasion, but then he'll lose when it matters most. That said, he had a stellar showing versus Neville last week and this was a solid follow-up. I just hope he'll have some sense of direction after WrestleMania.
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Shane McMahon and AJ Styles Signed the Contract For Their WrestleMania MatchDid we not just see a contract signing this past Monday night on Raw? This was a solid segment featuring pretty good mic work from both men, but their promos were not the strongest. The program peaked two weeks ago with the parking lot brawl and they've been treading water until the pay-per-view since then. They didn't make me any more excited for their encounter, but I still think it could exceed expectations despite it not being a gimmick match. Becky Lynch vs. Carmella Ended in a No Contest; SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and Carmella def. Mickie James and Becky LynchWe just saw Carmella vs. Lynch last week and is also ended in a no contest, so I would have been disappointed if the hype for the SmackDown Women's Championship match stopped there. Thankfully, the tag team match immediately followed and it was well-wrestled, helping put heat on the heels. Naomi's surprise return was the best part about this and I'm glad she'll be in action in her hometown in Orlando at WrestleMania. On a side note, I don't understand the frustration regarding their match being on the Kickoff show. What else was going to be bumped instead?
In my near-nine years as a wrestling fan, I have been extremely fortunate to have been to dozens of wrestling shows (all of which you can see photos from here), and at one point, I put together a "Wrestling Bucket List" of things I wanted to accomplish/attend. Since then, every item (which included going to an NXT event, a Ring of Honor show, a wrestling event in Madison Square Garden, a WWE pay-per-view, etc) has been eliminated, with the exception of attending a WrestleMania. This Sunday, I will finally fulfill that decade-long dream when I'm in attendance for WrestleMania 33 (in the same building that hosted WrestleMania 24 in 2008, which I had hoped to purchase on pay-per-view when I first got into wrestling).
To say I'm excited for the event would be a massive understatement, and regardless of how lackluster the road to WrestleMania has been at times, I still strongly believe this pay-per-view has the potential to be a blockbuster. The entire weekend should be a blast, and seeing as how I will also be in attendance for NXT TakeOver: Orlando this Saturday, I thought it would be fitting to run down the top six matches I'm anticipating the most. Note: Next Era Wrestling's very own RJ Marceau wrote something similar on Monday, so check out his list when you get the chance! Dana Brooke def. Alicia FoxThese two have had a few matches in the past, but the dynamic was different this time around with Brooke recently turning babyface and Fox as a heel now that she's with Noam Dar. I still say Brooke would benefit from a return to NXT because she remains awful in the ring, and while she seems like she'd be a natural heel, she actually had a better outing in the ring as a face. This wasn't a must-see match by any means and the crowd sat on their hands, but it was at least more tolerable than I thought it would be. Mustafa Ali, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado def. Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak and Tony NeseOnce again, the extra Cruiserweights not used on Raw were relegated to working a meaningless match on Main Event. As well-wrestled as it was, the crowd could not have cared less, and I found it difficult to pay attention myself because there wasn't much of a story told. Metalik is an excellent athlete, but he appears so inconsistently that fans aren't able to get behind him. In other words, this was the battle of the jobbers in the Cruiserweight division.
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