In front of 72,245 at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, The Phenom's record at the event dropped to 23-2, on a night where both brand's major championships changed hands.
Randy Orton snatched the WWE Championship from the grasp of Bray Wyatt right before a barrage of German suplexes and a thunderous F5 floored Goldberg as Brock Lesnar exacted revenge.
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Neville equipped a controversial tactic to aggravate Austin Aries' previous injury and soften him for an emphatic Red Arrow finisher to cut the ribbons and get the in-ring action started for WrestleMania.
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The HIGH RISK yields NO REWARD for #Cruiserweight Champion @WWENeville! Can @AustinAries take advantage? #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/Heuix9OAJD— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 2, 2017
#KingOfTheCruiserweights @WWENeville defends his throne against @AustinAries on the #WrestleMania #Kickoff, streaming LIVE on @WWENetwork! pic.twitter.com/9QwhFVtOM0— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2017
However, he gauged the eye of Aries - who had been recovering from an eye socket injury which sidelined him last year - and that left him stunned and softened for the Red Arrow. Neville retained the championship in an excellent contest, and the cruiserweights set the tone for the evening.
The @WWEUniverse just witnessed @WWENeville pull off the victory over @AustinAries, streaming LIVE on @WWENetwork! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/VHM89KOS12— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) April 2, 2017
I want Neville to hold that belt for ten damn years. #WrestleMania— Adam Pacitti (@adampacitti) April 2, 2017
Gronk smash hypes Mojo to stunning victory
Mojo Rawley pulled off a stunning win in the fourth annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal with the equalising help of NFL star and friend Rob Gronkowski.
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Sami Zayn was putting on a performance to remember, but soon enough it was Rawley feeding off the energy after more numbers had been swept out. Jinder Mahal did cause trouble though, sending him through the lower ropes to continue damage right in front of Rawley's friend, the New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski. He then would taunt Gronk, throwing his drink at him, which angered the American star and sent him into the ring with rage, spiking Mahal with a tackle and that allowed Rawley to get rid of Killian Dain, the NXT talent who put on a great showing, and then Rawley dispatched Mahal to win the battle royal.
The #AndreBattleRoyal just got a dose of @Patriots' @RobGronkowski. Watch #WrestleMania streaming LIVE at 7e/4p on @WWENetwork! pic.twitter.com/fpoMaJAEHw— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2017
.@MojoRawleyWWE remains undefeated in @WWE PPV Kickoff Matches:— WWE Stats & Info (@WWEStats) April 2, 2017
- #WrestleMania 33
- Chamber '17
- TLC '16
- No Mercy '16
- SummerSlam '16
Anything can happen at WrestleMania - Gronk is the latest to cross over, and he makes his mark with a bang. It's also an incredible moment for Mojo Rawley - a potential career catapult.
30 years of hardship. 30 years of fighting up from the gutter. 30 years of people doubting me. It all led to this. Best moment of my life. pic.twitter.com/7Dgg8fWCIE— Mojo Rawley (@MojoRawleyWWE) April 3, 2017
Dean Ambrose overcame the towering Baron Corbin to retain his Intercontinental championship by executing a Dirty Deeds out of nowhere.
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The writing appeared to be on the wall, despite all the heart and courage showed by the former Shield member. Corbin looked to finish it off with the slam, but Ambrose rolled through and pulled off the Dirty Deeds for a quick pin.
EXCLUSIVE: He might have taken one of the worst beatings of his career, but @TheDeanAmbrose is STILL your #ICChampion! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/ZxCnq08EjS— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2017
Shane O' pays price in "Phenomenal" opener
AJ Styles saw off a courageous, defiant and relentless effort from Shane McMahon to get his WrestleMania moment in a chaotic main card opener.
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When AJ threw a huge overhand right, it really turned into a striking battle, with Shane unloading with hooks to the body and kicks. The former WWE champion dished out a beating, but an attempt for a springboard forearm was thwarted quickly with a push on the ropes.
As Styles tried to put things back into his favour, he was the recipient of some dangerous ground work from his opponent, who attempted an armbar and rear naked choke to reverse the Calf Crusher. AJ rallied again, and with a springboard 450 somersault, he would miss and fall into the clutch of a triangle choke. Styles showed great strength to hoist McMahon up and hit the Styles Clash, but McMahon refused to give in, and kicked out with the near-fall.
The match would take a big turn when the referee was dropped by an accidental kick by Styles, but the former TNA star capitalised as he rummaged under the ring to retrieve a trash can. Mocking the move which McMahon made his, he set up for a Coast to Coast, but was met half way with the can and dropped. Shane then did it for himself, and nailed Styles for a near-fall, with the fans on their feet after an epic start to WrestleMania.
Looking to go high risk once again, the billionaire's son took the Phenomenal One to the outside, putting him on the announce table. Climbing back into the ring on the top rope, he went for a leap of faith, only to miss badly and crash through. Styles had him beaten, bringing him back into the ring for a Phenomenal Forearm, only to fall into a sensational DDT reversal, with absolutely no stopping Shane.
There was no shortage in high risk, either, as the commissioner then went for a Shooting Star Press, again missing though and going out cold. That would be it, as Styles nailed him with the forearm and put him out for the three count. An incredible match to kick off the main card and a tough victory for Styles, with the bar raised extremely high for the acts to follow.
KO Mania 2 strikes US gold
Kevin Owens snatched the title from the grasp of his former friend Chris Jericho and took home the bragging rights to go with the United States tittle.
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They continued to brawl, and the two men clearly learnt a lot about each other during their partnership. A frogsplash from Owens and Swanton bomb both landed on the knees of Jericho, but between that he was reversed himself with a Lionsault. That Lionsault did come into fruition when a pop-up powerbomb was thwarted, but again, a twist in the tale saw Owens almost submit Jericho with the veteran's own finisher.
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Hugging on to the title for longer
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Nia Jax was the threat on everyone's minds, so Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha all went after her only to be decimated early on. A more calculated approach though saw the three chop down Nia, and nail a double suplex at the help of a boot from Flair. They then all teamed up for the power bomb, and they were all needed to keep Jax down and pin her for the elimination.
It was now a triple threat match, with Sasha and Bayley trading for a while before spilling crazily to the outside. Charlotte pounced on the opportunity, scaling to the top turnbuckle and pulling off a jaw-dropping twisting moonsault. She went at it with Banks in a renewal of their rivalry, where an exposed turnbuckle eventually came into play as Sasha on exit from a pin was knocked out cold by the metal and pinned for the three.
With Charlotte having plenty of momentum behind her sails, she set her sights on the remaining combatant and champion Bayley. The Hugger was able to roll out of the way of a Monsault and escape from the Figure Four Leg Lock, before executing a back body drop from the top rope. She managed to free her legs, and paid tribute to Macho Man with the elbow drop that put Charlotte away for the three count. A gutsy, inspiring effort saw Bayley retain her RAW Women's Championship.
Deletemania: Matt and Jeff make shocking return to win gold
Matt and Jeff Hardy made an incredible return to the ring as they were added to the triple threat ladder match and captured the Raw Tag Team Championships.
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They made their mark early on, with the Whisper in the Wind and Twist of Fate, while Gallows and Anderson eventually managed to make their mark against rivals of whom they know very well. Tag team chemistry was all around the place, with Cesaro and Sheamus in sync with the Beats of the Bodhrán and swing while Enzo Amore and Big Cass were flying all over the place.
Jeff Hardy received a crushing Brogue Kick on the apron to fall into a pile of bodies as Sheamus and Gallows battled atop the ladder, before Enzo got close as well. A Twist of Fate from the top rung by Matt later was just some of the chaos going on.
There was then time for a huge risk from Jeff, who climbed to the top and delivered a massive Swanton Bomb through the ladder while his brother picked up the tag team gold. A triumphant return for the Hardy Boys who captured the RAW tag titles. Welcome back, Hardy boys.
The power couple tie Miz and Maryse, and soon the knot
John Cena and Nikki Bella secured their place as WWE's power couple with a commanding victory against The Miz and Maryse, before Cena proposed to his girlfriend in an emotional moment.
A personal rivalry had personal implications as Cena and Bella took the fight to the Canadian and French married couple, with Miz taunting to infuriate Cena but eventually backing him into a lot of trouble. Meanwhile, Maryse was brutal in her attacks of Nikki Bella.
A slap to Miz from John Cena's girlfriend soon lead to a double five knuckle shuffle and a simultaneous Attitude Adjustment for the pin. But it wasn't really about the wrestling, it was about what happened after.
John Cena proposed to Nikki Bella and the finally became engaged in a heartwarming moment that left some fans - barring the thousands if not millions of Reigns detractors - with a tear or two in their eyes.
Relentless Rollins beats The Game
Seth Rollins overcame the odds to defeat Triple H in an epic, unsanctioned encounter, sealing the deal with a Pedigree in dramatic circumstances.
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But then came the turning point, as HHH struck the knee and landed a DDT on the table. He got a chair and landed it on the knee of his opponent, before jumping on the extended hamstring. It was a methodical, targeted beatdown completely wearing down that right knee and unleashing punishment that was fully allowed due to the hold harmless agreement.
Seth Rollins pitched numerous attempts to mount a comeback but the injured knee continued to give in. He did manage to build some strength with a powerbomb against the turnbuckle, followed by a crossbody to the outside. He grabbed some chairs and set up a table before executing a frogsplash to on the WWE COO's spine, although it would again turn in favour of the Cerebral Assassin with one kick to the knee.
He trapped the knee in chair and stomped on it repeatedly to create more damage, and then went to the top rope to finish it off. Rollins managed to get up, land the chair shot and hit a superplex from the top, rolling through with a Falcon Arrow for the near fall. Feeling the momentum, Rollins went to the top rope again but that's when the unsanctioned stipulation came into effect, as Stephanie grabbed Rollins leg and sent him crashing off the ropes.
An excruciating submission seemed to last a lifetime, although the former NXT champion was again able to power through. He inadvertently handed Triple H his patented sledgehammer when rummaging under the ring - before HHH could use that though, there were some pulsating striking exchanges and a kick out of nowhere to stifle The Game.
Seth Rollins then got hold of the sledgehammer but just before he was going to use it, Stephanie McMahon once again intervened to grab it, and then a distracted Rollins walked into a Pedigree. The nearest of near falls saw Rollins kick out in the nick of time, before countering a pedigree atempt from the top rope with a back body drop and a Phoenix Splash for another near fall. The Citrus Bowl was on edge, and the end was appearing near as both men looked for Pedigree attempts. HHH stopped Rollins with attacks to the knee, while Rollins muscled out of the attempts.
Again Steph would step up to the apron to hold Rollins back, allowing Triple H to take the shot, but Rollins ducked and almost made his opponent hit his own wife. As he was distracted, it gave Rollins enough time to stalk The Game and hit a big super kick that sent him stumbling towards his wife who went crashing through the table. It infuriated Triple H, but when he turned around, he fell into the Pedigree and Seth Rollins pulled off a massive victory in a thrilling match.
RKO out of nowhere cuts Wyatt era short
Randy Orton overcame the mental warfare of Bray Wyatt to win his 13th world title with an RKO out of nowhere.
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The Royal Rumble winner was certainly psyched out when images of worms and creatures showed up on the canvas while Wyatt took the mental warfare to a new level. From there, he took full control and had the challenger reeling.
Wyatt continues to go after, but walks into RKO outta nowhere randy continues onslaught, wyatt sister abigal near fall more mental shit Rko out of nohere
Bray Wyatt continued to chase him on the outside, to his detriment. He walked into an RKO out of nowhere, and was dragged back into the ring. Despite some flurries and comebacks, and also a crazy Sister Abigal finisher, Orton was not going to be finished. Some more mental warfare and insects on the canvas wouldn't hassle Orton this time, who turned around with a huge RKO for the win, and his 13th world championship.
Universal Beast: Brock breaks Goldberg
Brock Lesnar finally broke the duck against arch rival Goldberg as he delivered a total of 13 suplexes before an F5 to snatch the Universal title.
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Goldberg followed him outside of the ropes and sent him crashing through the barricade with another spear, and Lesnar was again reeling. The former WCW star nailed a Jackhammer after some back-and-forth, but a look of disbelief plastered over his face when somehow, The Beast kicked oout.
Stalking again, Goldberg looked for another spear, but he was athletically leapfrogged and went flying through to the turnbuckle. He was then sent on a ride to Suplex City, ten off the bat in total before an Earth-shaking F5 to finish Goldberg, complete retribution, and get his hands on the WWE Universal Championship.
Naomi crowned on homecoming
In front of her home crowd, Naomi recaptured the SmackDown Women's Championship by seeing off Alexa Bliss and four other competitors.
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Reigns era stamped and sealed as Undertaker loses and bows out
Roman Reigns staked his claim as the Big Dog as he brutally finished off The Undertaker in what was the Phenom's last match.
With a colossal showdown to see who runs the yard now, Undertaker came out swinging to a dominant start. He dropped the Samoan, demonstrating his credentials as the purest striker in the game. However, The Phenom found himself on shaky legs when he ran into a Samoan Drop, which lead to a Drive-By in the outside later on.
Undertaker remained a potent threat, though, with the ability to turn the match on its head at any point in time. Snake Eyes, a Big Boot and a leg drop teed up for the chokeslam, but Reigns was able to flee in time. He walked into a huge right hand, before being chokeslammed on to the announce table.
The Deadman was looking to replicate the manoeuvre with more impact as he prepped the Spanish announce desk. But Reigns sprang up and out nowhere and speared him straight through a table. After a long period of being flattened out on the canvas, and as Roman watched on, Taker managed to sit up and got himself back in the ring where he was brutally beat down again with a series of stomps and strikes.
Roman Reigns was wanting to make a statement, so did so by shouting at The Undertaker as he pounded away with punches mounted in the turnbuckle. The tied was dramatically turned though when Undertaker lifted Reigns on his shoulderS and sent him crashing to the canvas with the Last Ride.
He then proceeded with a beat down using the steel chair, but again Reigns fled away from the chokeslam. Reigns then looked to switch things again with a cluster of Superman punches, wobbling the Phenom until he caught an attempt and planted him onto a steel chair. After getting his bearings, Roman Reigns snuck in a spear but almost wound up in a load of submission trouble.
With the chair still lying vacated in the ring, Undertaker tried to crawl towards it but Roman Reigns go their first, and with great mercy asked Taker to stay down during the punishment. Two spears, and a Superman punch lead to near falls, and Reigns was now frustrated and bemused as to how to vanquish his opponent.
A supercharged spear after bouncing on the ropes a couple of extra times crushed The Undertaker and put him out for the three. The biggest win of Roman Reigns' life - and the last match in Undertaker's.
He acknowledged the crowd then left his jacket, gloves and hat in the ring. Emotions were running high as the greatest performer in WrestleMania history walked out for one last time.
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