Inside a jam-packed MetLife Stadium Sunday night, 82,265 jubilant fans of the WWE Universe traveled from all around the world to witness the annual Super Bowl of pro wrestling. As millions more tuned in live via WWE Network, expectations were running high for the 35th anniversary of WrestleMania.
This year’s Show of Shows will forever be remembered for its breakthrough female event, but there were more than a few gripping WrestleMania moments along the way, too. Here we give you the 10 most jaw-dropping and emotional moments (from bottom to top) from WrestleMania 35.
Relive the Mania of WrestleMania on WWE Network. For more information, visit WWE.com.
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Courtesy of WWE
Thank You, Kurt
When Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle announced that he would be retiring following his last-ever match at WrestleMania 35, fans drooled at the prospect of a farewell dream match with a legendary opponent. The drooling turned to disappointment, however, when Baron Corbin was slated to fill the void.
Worse still, Angle, who has had top WrestleMania matches with the likes of Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels, eventually lost to Corbin. And so the real moment for the American hero came after the bout, when Angle encouraged fans to lovingly chant “You Suck.” In unison, 82,265 fans obliged—and did so with a tear in their eye.
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Courtesy of WWE
Hulk Still Rules
WrestleMania got a little bit of Hulkamania when the official host, Alexa Bliss, introduced the red and yellow icon right at the start of the show. MetLife Stadium erupted with excitement and then laughter as Hulk made reference to his slipup at WrestleMania 30, when he got the Skydome mixed up with the Silverdome. Jokes aside, seeing Hulk Hogan back at WrestleMania was a significant deal.
This unexpected, but welcome, kick-off to WrestleMania even included a posedown with Bliss. Now that’s how you start the Show of Shows, brother!
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Courtesy of WWE
Elias Meets the Doctor of Thugonomics
In one of the most bizarre, hilarious, and technically impressive moments in WrestleMania history, Elias played alongside copies of himself on the video screen as the crowd spelled out his name in a stunning light display. It was the type of presentation that would turn any A-List rockstar green with envy.
It seemed like nothing could top such a musical performance—until the Doctor of Thuganomics returned to steal Elias’s spotlight. You read that correctly! Super Cena rapped some blistering put-downs and dropped the guitarist with an Attitude Adjustment (or FU, in this case) to cap off a short and sweet WrestleMania appearance. John Cena is a Hollywood star now, but he will always be welcomed back into the WWE Universe.
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Courtesy of WWE
Shane’s Miracle at MetLife Stadium
After replacing The Miz in the finals of the Best in the World tournament at Crown Jewel, the trophy quickly went to the head of Shane-O-Mac. The two were able to coexist for a short time this year, winning the Tag Team titles along the way, but Shane’s superiority complex soon got the better of him and he attacked The Miz in frustration after they lost the belts at Elimination Chamber. Shane assaulted Miz—and papa Miz, who was watching at ringside during their match at Fastlane, setting up the Falls Count Anywhere match of WrestleMania 33.
Before the match got underway, Miz embraced his father, who was back at ringside for moral support. This gave Shane an advantage, as he was able to threaten him, getting into The Miz’s head. Following a cheap shot, Shane-O looked set to squash Miz with an elbow drop through the announcer’s table, but Miz’s dad had other ideas, and got in Shane’s face instead. The old man was ready to throw hands but instead received a knee to the stomach for his troubles. Thankfully, Miz made the save and gave Shane a taste of his own medicine. At this point, the match was getting out of hand.
Falls counting anywhere and everywhere, the two enemies headed outside the ring and battled all over the stadium, even utilizing parts of the set and the international broadcast position far from the ring. Shane took some serious bumps, including an eight-foot drop from a barrier, before getting a Skull Crushing Finale. But Shane does not know the meaning of the word “quit” and recovered to climb up an even higher platform.
Miz, seeing red mist, superplexed McMahon from the 15-foot high scaffold, and thanks to a WrestleMania miracle, Shane-O landed on his foe, scoring a pinfall and subsequent bragging rights to his moniker of “The Best in the World.”
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Courtesy of WWE
An Iconic WrestleMania Moment
The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles were defended for the first time in WrestleMania history when Sasha Banks and Bayley defended against three other teams in a Fatal 4-Way match.
A special mention must be made on the ring attire of the IICONICS, as Peyton Royce and Billie Kay made a WrestleMania moment early on, dressed as some type of hybrid between Maleficent and the Dark Angel. Another memorable moment was when Bret “The Hitman” Hart accompanied Natalya and Beth Phoenix to the ring during their entrance.
A smart strategy was formed to take out Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka from the outset, leaving the remaining teams to vie for the win. The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection showed some tag team brilliance, and we were also treated to a Hart Attack clothesline, in a perfect nod to the Hart Foundation. Natalya also impressed by inflicting a double Sharpshooter on the champs. At this point Nia and Tamina recovered to dominate the Fatal 4-Way, but it didn’t last. In the end, with the remaining teams on the mat, Billie Kay scored the upset for team IICONICS, which was certainly was an iconic moment.
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Courtesy of WWE
Seth Rollins Slays the Beast
Seth Rollins’s snap victory against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 has been weighing on the Beast Incarnate’s mind for some time. But with no Money in the Bank briefcase in play, Rollins faced the biggest challenge of his career when trying to regain the WWE Championship.
With hopes of getting the job done quickly, Paul Heyman interrupted Hulk Hogan’s opening segment to announce that this match would be first, so that Brock could enjoy the rest of the night celebrating in Vegas. Lesnar was certainly in Beast Mode as he attacked Rollins from the get-go and viciously pummeled him outside the ring using the ringside furniture as weapons. By the time the action made it back to the mat, Rollins looked like he was in bad shape, and his back was bloodied and bruised.
Surprisingly, this was to be Rollins’s night—a night where the King Slayer will forever be known as the Beast Slayer. With the referee out of position, Rollins delivered an almighty low blow to the former UFC Champ and followed up with three crushing Curb Stomps. Rollins burned down Suplex City, and became the new Universal Champion in the process.
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Courtesy of WWE
This Game Has No Rules
Batista made his return to the ring at WrestleMania 35, where the Guardians of the Galaxy star hoped to make it “Game Over” for his former Evolution teammate, Triple H. Shawn Michaels was on commentary, and the scene was set for a match with some pretty hefty star power.
A 270-pound Batista—who was lean and ripped for the bout—looked genuinely pleased to be back, but would ring rust be at play? Not to be outdone, The Game upped the cinematic bar with a captivating Mad Max-style entrance.
This No-Holds-Barred match got physical very quickly, seeing weapons, such as a toolbox and a chain, early on. Triple H attempted to break The Animal’s hand with an adjustable spanner, and made him pay further with the use of a chair and some pliers, forcedly removing Big Dave’s nose ring. Livid, and no doubt throbbing in pain, Batista mounted a comeback by slamming Hunter against both commentary tables.
With bad intentions, The Animal attempted a Batista Bomb but it was reversed, and he came crashing down instead. Triple H then drilled the Marvel star with a thunderous spear. How much more could these men take? How about a sledgehammer? How about the steel ring steps? Somehow, both men stayed in the match. That is until poetic justice saw Ric Flair insert himself into the action. The 70-year-old grabbed a sledgehammer and helped Triple H pick up the win, saving his career in the process. However, it would turn out to be Bautista’s last outing in a WWE ring, as the former SmackDown star announced his retirement shortly after the match was over.
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WWE
Roman Reclaims His Yard
‘The Big Dog’ and the ‘Scottish Psychopath’ went at it on Sunday night to determine the true alpha male of WWE, and we found out just whose yard it really is.
Following his recent well-documented health scare, Roman looked to be in rock solid shape as he sought to dispatch McIntyre at WrestleMania 35. Both men attempted to put each other away with a series of high impact moves, including a thumping suplex that saw Roman land heavily on the floor. An Alabama slam looked like it could spell the end for the Shield star, but he kicked out at the count of two. Roman got back into the match with a Drive By, and a Superman Punch, and finally put the big Scot away with a Spear. It was an emotional victory for the cancer survivor, and an emphatic statement that Roman Reigns still rules on the grandest stage of them all.
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Courtesy of WWE
KofiMania Runs Wild
KofiMania has swept the WWE Universe since the New Day star brought a record-breaking effort to a Gauntlet match back in February on SmackDown Live by lasting more than an hour and gaining phenomenal fan support in the process.
WWE’s favorite underdog was finally granted an opportunity by Mr. McMahon against WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan. The 12-year, WWE veteran, Kofi Kingston had no intentions of wasting his shot on the biggest stage of them all. As the rest of the locker room looked on, he came to win, but Air-Kofi missed its destination when the challenger took a nasty landing on the edge of the announce table. Daniel Bryan punished Kingston for this mistake, picking apart the injured warrior. Somehow, Kofi stayed in the match.
After some phenomenal back-and-forth action, Kingston, in his first-ever singles match at WrestleMania, became the new WWE Champion. With his New Day partners in tears, and young children there to celebrate, this was a WrestleMania moment that will live forever.
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Courtesy of WWE
Winner Takes All
Considering that winning the Royal Rumble is supposed to guarantee a title shot at WrestleMania, Becky Lynch’s road to the to MetLife against the RAW Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey, has been about as bumpy as it gets. Nevertheless, after a turbulent few weeks that have included a suspension, and the addition of new SmackDown Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair, in the mix, Lynch found her way into a Triple Threat match with not one but two titles on the line at WrestleMania 35.
Charlotte Flair arrived to the ring via a helicopter and a red carpet, while Joan Jett and The Blackhearts performed Ronda Rousey’s theme song, “Bad Reputation,” live.
It’s a good thing that MetLife Stadium doesn’t have a roof, because it might have blown off during the ovation for Lynch. Her straightforward entrance only served to show how focused the fighting Irish woman really was. This focus was further evident when Lynch dropkicked Rousey to the spine, forcing the former UFC star to take a nasty thud on the floor.
Rousey came back and attempted to place an armbar on both of her opponents simultaneously. When this was reversed, The Baddest Woman on the Planet found herself on the wrong end of a powerbomb.
Lynch’s first attempt at her Dis-Arm-Her finisher on Ronda failed, as did a modified version on the top rope. Charlotte tried to capitalize by attacking both women, and punished Rousey with a Figure-Four Leg Lock using the ring post as an aid. This was seriously competitive stuff, testing the will of all three girls. At one point, “The Man” reached for a table, but Rousey took it out of play only for Charlotte to bring it back. Flair may have regretted that move when she was slammed into it herself. This took her out of the match, and so Rousey quickly jumped on Becky and looked certain to put her away with the Piper’s Pit. But everything was reversed, and Becky Lynch took home the spoils. And so ended one of the more emotional WrestleMania’s in the event’s rich 35-year history.
