WWE WrestleMania 33: Ranking Seth Rollins vs. Triple H and Every Match at PPV
WrestleMania 33 is in the books, and in its wake, it has left much discussion about the overall quality of the in-ring product and which match stood head and shoulders above the rest as the best of the night.
The Hardy Boyz returned and captured the Raw Tag Team Championships in an explosive ladder match, but was that spectacle better than the unsanctioned match between Seth Rollins and Triple H, which wrapped up three years of storytelling in a single, glorious package?
What about the United States Championship match between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens or the showdown pitting Shane McMahon against AJ Styles?
Where did The Undertaker’s last match rank on the list of Sunday’s 13 matches?
Taking into consideration match quality itself, as well as crowd reaction, historic significance and importance to the current state of WWE, these are the matches that wowed the live viewers and captivated a worldwide audience Sunday night at The Showcase of the Immortals.
13. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
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The 2017 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was a terrible match that defied logic and featured an outcome that served no purpose to WWE programming other than to tout the involvement of New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The early eliminations of Braun Strowman and Big Show deflated the crowd. The tossing of Sami Zayn left them unenthused by the remaining options. In fact, it was not until Gronkowski hopped in the ring and ran over Jinder Mahal that the crowd once again became vocal in their support of the match.
Mojo Rawley’s victory is a head-scratcher considering his status as an undercard act on SmackDown Live. Unlike Baron Corbin and Cesaro, who benefited to different degrees, there is no obvious feud or path to stardom for the former NXT competitor, making his win here an even bigger curiosity.
12. Six-Pack Challenge Match for the SmackDown Women's Championship
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Rushed is the best way to describe the SmackDown Women’s Championship match from Sunday’s spectacle.
The penultimate match of the night on a card that already ran over by one hour, it was hurried significantly. With no time to tell a story of any kind, it became a mangled mess of spots rather than anything resembling an expertly laid-out wrestling match.
Carmella, Mickie James, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Naomi all worked hard and never let the frenetic pace they cut hamper the quality of their work. It was crisp, clean and saw every one of the competitors hit their signature spots.
The finish, though, came from out of nowhere and made Bliss look weak as she tapped to a submission hold Naomi had never used before. The problem is not that the move was new but, rather, that it looked ineffective and painless.
On second thought, that is the perfect way to cap off a match that was, itself, ineffective and painless.
11. The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns
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It is sad watching an iconic performer on his last legs at the event he helped create, but that is the position fans found themselves in Sunday night as Undertaker struggled to keep up with Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania.
Similar to Ric Flair during his retirement match with Shawn Michaels, The Phenom consistently looked three steps behind Reigns. His inability to complete the Tombstone reversal spot really hurt the match.
Worse was being out of place at the finish, forcing Reigns to stop and restart the match-ending spear.
The table spot early, which saw Reigns deliver a rib-crushing spear to his opponent, was cool, but nothing else in the match built off of it, rendering it a meaningless addition to the bout.
A match that started with great promise, it descended into a stumbling mess capped off by a Reigns victory and the emotional goodbye from wrestling’s greatest character.
10. WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
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The WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt should have been so much better than it was. It had the story behind it and featured a Wyatt competing in his first WrestleMania title bout. Orton appeared more motivated than he had been in recent years, and the atmosphere was perfect for a show-stealing bout.
Instead, the contest relied too heavily on parlor tricks as images of maggots, worms and cockroaches were projected onto the canvas. Meant to be mind games played by The Reaper of Souls, it made for a strong visual but a disjointed match.
Factor in the illogical finish, which saw Orton suddenly shake off the trickery and dramatics and deliver the RKO for the win.
A match that never kicked out of first gear, it was a disappointing conclusion to a match six months in the making.
9. Intercontinental Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin
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There may be some who are vocal in their insistence that the Intercontinental Championship should be defended on the main WrestleMania card, but the quality of the Dean Ambrose-Baron Corbin match Sunday night suggests the Kickoff Show is exactly where it belonged.
The contest with the least inspiring build of any on the WrestleMania card; it also lacked in crowd heat. That it was little more than a glorified television match did not help matters.
The early story of Corbin targeting Ambrose’s ribs after sending him into the ring post was a nice touch, but the in-ring psychology disappeared late in the bout.
Ambrose’s victory was a surprise given how many expected The Lone Wolf to capture his first title Sunday night, but even that was not enough to drag that match out of the realm of mediocrity.
A disappointing match that earned its place off the main card.
8. John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. the Miz and Maryse
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There was not a single thing about WrestleMania’s Mixed Tag Team Match pitting John Cena and Nikki Bella against The Miz and Maryse that inspired awe or was even remotely captivating.
It was a one-dimensional match that paled in comparison to the interactions Cena and Bella had with Fandango and Tyler Breeze on free television a few weeks back.
With that said, it was an energetic bout with one goal in mind: set up Cena’s proposal to his longtime girlfriend. It never overstayed its welcome or tried to be some sweeping epic. It accomplished its goal and did so in pleasant fashion.
The duel finishers and pins had been seen before on SmackDown Live, but it was absolutely the right way to bring this match to a close and send fans home happy.
Hardly a match fans will remember much past Sunday night—it was never meant to be.
7. Universal Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar
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In an industry highlighting smaller, faster and more agile Superstars than ever before, sometimes it is nice to watch two bulls battle in a war of heavyweights. That was the case Sunday when Brock Lesnar defeated Goldberg to capture the Universal Championship in WrestleMania’s marquee match.
The Beast Incarnate withstood two spears and kicked out of the Jackhammer. From there, he hurdled a final attempt at a spear and delivered the 10th of his German suplexes to Goldberg before ending the champion’s monumental comeback in disappointing fashion via the F-5.
The match was exactly what it needed to be. It was longer than the Survivor Series debacle but not so long as to expose the limited move sets of either man. It was perfectly executed, and the result was Lesnar reclaiming his spot atop WWE.
6. Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match for the Raw Women's Championship
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One year ago, the women of WWE made history with a stunning Triple Threat match that remains the greatest highlight from the Dallas show. Sunday night, Bayley defended her Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax in a Fatal 4-Way elimination match that was too rushed to live up to lofty expectations.
Nia Jax was impressive in her brief flurry early. She dominated the competition and was only eliminated after all three of her opponents teamed up to deliver a Shield-like triple powerbomb.
Sasha Banks’ elimination took the air out of the crowd. It came after Charlotte kicked her into an exposed turnbuckle, then pinned her to send her packing. The Boss, such an integral part of last year’s show, was unceremoniously dispatched.
The finish was entirely anticlimactic, too. After tossing Charlotte off the top rope, Bayley delivered a Randy Savage-inspired elbow drop to score the pinfall victory and successfully retain her title.
Disappointing to say the least, the Raw women’s division’s contribution to this year’s Showcase of the Immortals never lived up to its potential, through no fault of the performers themselves.
5. United States Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
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Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens was a fine wrestling match, but it should have been so much more than it was. The raw emotion that existed in their rivalry really demanded something like a hardcore match.
Instead, they squared off in a basic match for the United States Championship.
The contest failed to capture the intense dislike the characters had for each other. Owens betrayed Jericho’s trust and friendship. Y2J was seeking revenge after Owens used him as a pawn, a tool to help him successfully retain what was then his Universal Championship. That does not call for missile dropkicks and fancy reversals.
That calls for a fight.
What fans were "treated" to was a match that would not have been out of place on Monday nights, but for WrestleMania, it was somewhat lackluster in its overall quality and failed to properly pay off months of storytelling.
4. Cruiserweight Championship Match: Austin Aries vs. Neville
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The first match during Sunday’s ungodly long telecast saw Neville defend the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries.
A superb wrestling match that lived up to the quality fans expected of the two underrated in-ring performers, it left some wondering why the contest was not featured on the main card when such musical luminaries like Pitbull, Flo Rida and LunchMoney Lewis were afforded that opportunity.
The finish of the bout, in particular, was executed to perfection.
As Aries surged, closer than ever to dethroning The King of the Cruiserweights, Neville took the low road and raked the eyes of his opponent. Considering Aries was coming off an orbital bone injury, Tom Phillips was able to call it as if it was the most underhanded thing he had ever seen.
From there, Neville delivered Red Arrow and emerged with his arm raised in victory.
On a night where some of the top stories in WWE came to an end, hopefully this was but the first time Neville and Aries will square off for the right to call themselves champion.
3. Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
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The opening match of WrestleMania 33, which saw AJ Styles battle Shane McMahon in singles competition, had no right to be as good as it was.
The prodigal son is a performer who needs the safety net of plunder and gimmickry to mask his deficiencies. Styles is the best wrestler on the planet, but even he would need to deliver one of his finest performances to deliver a potential show-stealer with McMahon.
Miracle or not, The Phenomenal One played to his opponent’s strengths, and the result was a thrilling match.
The use of a referee bump to allow Shane the opportunity to get his signature spots in, including the Van Terminator with the trash can, was a nice touch that harkened back to WrestleMania X-Seven and Triple H’s need to work the same style bout with Undertaker.
The right man went over, the crowd popped and WrestleMania was off to a hot start.
2. Seth Rollins vs. Triple H
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From a traditional standpoint, Seth Rollins vs. Triple H was the best match on the show.
The Game targeted the injured knee of his opponent, even breaking out the Indian Deathlock fans have seen used very sparingly since WrestleMania XIX, when he utilized it to ground Booker T. The Cerebral Assassin cut Rollins off at every point, creating doubt that The Architect could actually beat him on that night.
A late-match spot that saw Rollins use a superkick to blast Triple H, who fell into Stephanie McMahon and knocked her off the apron and through a table, drew a big pop and set Rollins up to deliver a Pedigree and score the pinfall victory over his former mentor.
The crowd may not have been the most vocable, burned out after the return of The Hardy Boyz and exhausted by the five hours of wrestling they had already watched, but the story the competitors told and the overall quality of the match they pieced together earned them this spot on the countdown.
1. Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Championship
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As if the wild and chaotic nature of ladder matches is not enough, the surprise return and inclusion of The Hardy Boyz created an electric atmosphere around the night's best match.
The big bumps, the clever spots and the element of danger involved helped the Fatal 4-Way ladder match for the Raw Tag Team Championships earn the top spot on our countdown.
Sheamus, Cesaro and Luke Gallows brought the high-impact power moves, Big Cass took a nasty back-first bump into a ladder and Jeff Hardy put an exclamation on the contest with a death-defying Swanton Bomb from the top of one ladder onto Cesaro and through another.
The crowd chanted "DELETE" as Matt Hardy climbed the ladders and retrieved the titles, completing the most improbable return to the WrestleMania stage in event history.
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