Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) (Fatal 4-Way Ladder Tag Team Match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)
Reactions: DELETE! DELETE! DELETE! Matt and Jeff Hardy shocked the hell out of everyone, including us! The New Day teased the hell out of the live crowd and made us think they were entering themselves into the match. But thank God they introduced the returning Hardy Boyz into this major Ladder Match. Their addition to the quality teams already featured here made this match just that much better. There’s so many moments to recount here – Enzo going sky high over two ladders to crash into Gallows, Jeff eating a Brogue Kick and crashing into everyone on the outside, Cesaro and Sheamus’ wild combinations, Matt’s Twist of Fate of the ladder etc. But most of all, Jeff Hardy’s shocking Swanton Bomb off a huge ladder onto both Cesaro and Sheamus was quite the sight to see! All eight of the competitors in this Ladder Match did an admirable job at keeping the energy high from start to finish. A shocking Hardy Boyz return combined with a stupendous Ladder Match equals one of the best parts of ‘Mania 33!
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Reactions: Side note – we were pretty thrown off when Corbin’s music started blaring and we realized that this title match was relegated to the Kickoff Show. Now while this match wasn’t downright terrible, it was a bit of a slog to sit through. When Corbin was in control, the action was plodding and a bit uninteresting. With some more relaxed rules, we’re pretty sure the combined madness of Corbin and Ambrose would have been more fun with some weapons involved. But as a basic title match, both men performed the type of match you’d usually catch on an episode of SD Live. Nothing really stood out here except for the ending, which saw Ambrose pull off a slick backflip out of Corbin’s End of Days and finish him with a Dirty Deeds DDT. We’re glad it didn’t run too long, honestly. This was a pretty lifeless title match that could have been that much better with hardcore rules attached to it. Especially considering the two men we have here, by the way!
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse (Mixed Tag Team Match)
Reactions: The best part of this match? The adoration from the crowd towards The Miz. That says a lot about the match itself, doesn’t it? This was an incredibly average mixed tag that was full of a lot of stalling and bland action. We had more fun with the crowd reactions and Miz’s interactions with them all the while. This match was more of a vehicle to get us all to see Cena finally propose to Nikki. It wasn’t much of a shock to watch unfold, but it was still a sweet moment that opened our dark hearts a little bit. Skip the match and go straight to the big marriage proposal. There’s nothing much to appreciate from this entire segment except for that heartwarming WrestleMania moment.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE United States Championship)
Reactions: Here’s one of the few matches on the ‘Mania 33 card that had actually had a great storyline going into it. We’re happy to see that these two proud Canadians put on a favorable grudge match for the US Championship. The pure hatred shared between both men was on full display here as Y2J and Owens cut each other off constantly. What entertained us the most were the unique ways Owens and Jericho pulled off their signature moves. Owens’ Cannonball Splash into Jericho while he sat on the outside ring apron was dope, as well as Jericho locking Owens into his Walls of Jericho after a failed Cannonball Splash. The rest of this bout was filled with some intense back and forth exchanges and even more shocking counters (Y2J’s Codebreaker counter to Owens’ Pop Up Powerbomb is highlight reel worthy!). The extremely painful looking ending was the perfect way to send Y2J off and give Owens his 1st WrestleMania moment. Owens and Jericho pulled off a satisfying conclusion that their feud definitely needed. Extra kudos goes out to Jericho’s super sized version of The List, too.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars