WWE WrestleMania 30 Evaluation
By Nathan Kyght, PWTorch PPV specialist

It's been a week since I got back from New Orleans, and I wanted to start the column with some thoughts. First, if any wrestling fan gets a chance to attend a WrestleMania live, I can't recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity enough. I've attended both WrestleMania 25 in Houston as well as this year's event, and being in a city consumed with wrestling is a one-of-a-kind experience. There's something surreal about being in a bar in the middle of the night and having 'Yes!' chants break out, or being in a restaurant where literally every table you pass is debating the winners and losers of the big show. It's a ton of fun. A special place in my heart is always going to be reserved for New Orleans now as well. It's a unique, culturally vibrant city with endless amounts to try, see, and experience. It was a tremendous time, and I'm eagerly looking forward to San Francisco next year. On to the show of shows...

BEST MATCH – TRIPLE H VS. DANIEL BRYAN

It's rare that the opener of a show is the best match of the night, but I thought that this slightly edged out the main event (which also says something about Daniel Bryan being in the two best matches of the night). Triple H, regardless of your opinion of him, is unquestionably one of the best in the ring, and he put Daniel Bryan over like the proverbial million bucks to open the show. The two men clicked throughout, Stephanie was fantastic in her role as the supportive 'evil' wife at ringside, and the Superdome EXPLODED when Bryan scored the pin. It was a great start (match-wise) to a great WrestleMania, and the tone was set.

WORST MATCH – DIVAS MATCH

No surprises here, although I do have to say that they were not only following The Undertaker's WrestleMania match, the were following the match where The Streak ended. This was the death spot, pun intended.

BIGGEST SURPRISE – 21-1

To be there live for this was something I will genuinely never forget. The match had been a dull affair (although it later came out that Undertaker was wrestling with a concussion sustained early on, so kudos to him for getting through and let's not judge the match harshly). The crowd never really invested in the nearfalls as they were certain Taker was winning, so the end was even more of a stunner: Lesnar hits a third F5, covers... and wins.

The atmosphere in the building was almost inexplicable. Everyone around me was either stood in shock, or proclaiming that it was a botch and the match was going to restart. The fact that Brock's music didn't play right away seemed to support this. But it was not to be, and Lesnar headed to the back while the stunned crowd paid their respects to the end of The Streak. For those still doubting how monumental this seemed at the time, I want to share a story.

My friend and I headed to the concourse right afterwards, and saw two separate people crying. I am not making this up. Adults, CRYING over a wrestling angle in 2014. Whether you feel this was the right or wrong way to book (and I lean towards it being the best way to go) this was simply a timeless WrestleMania moment. And for those that are angry over The Streak ending, keep in mind that The Undertaker almost certainly made this call or approved it, so if he's fine with it, then just enjoy The Streak for what it was.

BEST MOVE – MAIN EVENT FALSE FINISH

Daniel Bryan gets sent to the outside, and Randy Orton nails Batista with the RKO and covers him. This was such a perfect spot, that people truly thought that we were yet again not getting the Daniel Bryan win, and the arena went crazy when Batista kicked out. But they went even more crazy when...

BEST MATCH FINISH – MAIN EVENT

...Batista tapped to Daniel Bryan, and the story finally came to a happy ending. Being in attendance as the 70,000 or so chanted 'Yes!' was a great end to one of the best WrestleManias shows ever. A huge thumbs up of a night.

OTHER THOUGHTS

- Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock had a fun opening to the show. Hogan accidentally calling the building the 'Silverdome' worked out as it allowed The Rock and Austin to have some fun with it, and the visual of the three Superstars in the ring together was a great way to start the show.

- The Shield match was just a squash, exactly what it should have been.

- The battle royal was a lot of fun. Kofi Kingston landing on the steps to avoid elimination was a highlight reel moment, and Cesaro body slamming The Big Show over the ropes was a nice call back to THAT WrestleMania 3 moment. Well done.

- Bray Wyatt had an amazing entrance complete with a "voodoo dancer" and a live band playing him in, but the match itself was a bit of a letdown. It looks like a rematch is coming at Extreme Rules, which is fortunate as I think the two are capable of more together.

WHAT IT'LL BE REMEMBERED FOR

Almost everything, it's WrestleMania. But in terms of a defining moment, the image will always be Daniel Bryan, draped in gold, chanting "Yes!" with his exuberant fans as confetti streamed down through the lights. Best show of the year so far.

INITIAL 2014 PPV EVALUATION RANKINGS

1 - WWE WRESTLEMANIA XXX (2014-04-06)
2 - WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER (2014-02-23)
3 - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE (2014-01-26)
4 - TNA LOCKDOWN (2014-03-09)

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