WrestleMania 35 Results and Recap: Where Dreams Are Made, and the Women Main Event
Every year looks like it’s going to bring on the biggest WrestleMania yet, but it’s hard to argue with the claim this year. 16 matches, every title defended, and history being made as Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey become the first women to ever main event WrestleMania. Look, I don’t need a long preamble here. This is the biggest show of the year, it’s ungodly long, and there’s so much to talk about so let’s just dive in and see if Kofi Kingston could truly make this KofiMania, if The Miz could get revenge on Shane McMahon, and if Braun Strowman would make sure Saturday Night Live had two positions to fill next weekend. It’s time for WrestleMania 35!
Tony Nese defeated Buddy Murphy (c) for the Cruiserweight Championship
Kicking off the, well, Kickoff
Murphy looks to come out of the block hot, but Nese is the one in early control. He’s fired up, punching Murphy into the corner, throwing him to the outside, and then hitting him with some flips and fists. Momentum shifts though, as Murphy weathers that storm and spends the next chunk of the match keeping Nese on the mat, wearing him down with a number of submissions.
Despite Murphy’s dominance, Nese does well holding his own. There’s a moment where he hits Murphy, prone between the middle and top ropes, with a beautiful springboard moonsault that gets him a near fall. Murphy gets his own near fall off a superkick in the corner and a twisting slam. It’s back and forth like that, both Nese and Murphy each looking for their WrestleMania moment.
Murphy almost has his moment after kicking out of a 450 splash from Nese and then hitting his opponent with Murphy’s Law, but Murphy doesn’t realize how close he is to the ropes. Nese manages to get his foot on the rope, and that sets the stage for him fighting back to get his own WrestleMania moment. He blocks a knee from Murphy, hits him with a German suplex into the corner, and then follows through with the Running Nese, giving Nese the pinfall victory and his first ever Cruiserweight Championship reign.
Carmella won the Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal
Next up, it’s the first of two battle royals where the winner gets a ridiculously large trophy. The ring fills with talent, like Mickie James, Naomi, Ruby Riott, Carmella, NXT’s Kairi Sane, and so many more. Nikki Cross gets the action going, screaming and going after everyone she can get her hands on. It’s fun to watch, but the strategy puts her in Asuka’s sights, and that gets her eliminated early. Naomi and Ember Moon have a nice little back and forth in the ring, including a moment where Lana tries to get involved and eats an Eclipse, which is followed by the surprising elimination of Naomi.
Other highlights amongst the chaos that is the middle of this match include Kairi Sane delivering deadly chops to Lana’s chest, The Riott Squad working as a team to get rid of Sane, and Dana Brooke bringing it to all three members of The Riott Squad, eliminating Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan in the process.
In the final stretch, it looks like the team of Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose have the best shot at winning, but Mickie James eliminates Rose with a superkick, and then she’s eliminated by Deville. That leaves Deville, Sarah Logan, and Asuka fighting for the trophy. Or, that’s what we all thought. It looks like Sarah Logan gets the win after Deville distracts Asuka on the apron, but it turns out Carmella was never eliminated. She slides back in the ring and tosses an unsuspecting Logan over the top rope to win the second-ever Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal.
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated The Revival (c) for the RAW Tag Team Championship
The story heading into this match is simple: Curt Hawkins doesn’t win matches. I don’t mean he loses a lot, I mean he’s lost 269 straight matches. Now, he and Ryder have a shot at dethroning the RAW Tag Team Champions.
Dawson spends a lot of the early part of the match simply disrespecting Hawkins. He seems to take Ryder a little more seriously, laying him out with chops and stomps before tagging in Wilder, who goes to town on Ryder too. The Revival are firmly in control for pretty much the entirety of the match. They keep Ryder isolated in their corner, using quick tags and making sure Ryder has no chance of getting to his partner.
Ryder eventually gets desperate, and he executes a surprise double neckbreaker on both Dawson and Wilder, but that’s still not enough to get a tag. The Revival pull Ryder back into their corner and beat the hell out of him with a flurry of fists.
The Revival
That brings in Ryder, who ends up out on the floor. Hawkins rolls him back in and makes the tag, but the pin is broken up and all four men end up on the outside, flat on their backs. Eventually, Dawson tosses Hawkins back in the ring. He’s lifeless, and Dawson can only smile as he goes in for the easy win. But Hawkins has just enough left, rolling Dawson into a small package and, unbelievably, ending his 296-match winless streak by becoming one half of the RAW Tag Team Champions.
Braun Strowman won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
This year’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is mostly notable for one thing: Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che and Colin Jost somehow deciding it’d be a good idea to get on the bad side of Braun Strowman. Sure, the Hardy Boyz are here, along with Luke Harper, Andrade, Heavy Machinery, Jinder Mahal, and a whole host of other Superstars, but this is the story of Braun maybe ending the careers of two comedians.
Because Che and Jost know they’re about to get wrecked, they crawl under the bottom rope and hide under the ring while the rest of the superstars go at it. Strowman and Harper go face to face, the crowd cheering for them to exchange blows, but that confrontation is thwarted by the other superstars. There’s some eliminations early, as Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil, Rhyno, and Karl Anderson will have to wait another year to get a shot at the trophy.
Andrade goes on a good run and eliminates Chad Gable. Once Strowman is back up, he gets rid of Heavy Machinery, Jinder Mahal, and both Luke Harper and Mustafa Ali, the former of which was trying to suplex Ali on the apron. Andrade somehow eliminates both Apollo Crews and himself at the same time, and then Jost and Che try to sneak back into the ring and get Strowman out while he’s distracted with the Hardys.
It doesn’t work, and Jost gets on a mic and pleads with Braun for mercy. “Not everything has to end in violence,” he says before bringing in his therapist to “work through the anger.” Guess what? That doesn’t work either. Che tries to eliminate himself, but gets caught on the apron by Braun’s fist. Then Jost tries to take advantage of that moment and get Braun out, but there’s just no way that Jost is lifting the big man. Strowman fights back and throws Jost over the top rope and into the eliminated competitors gathered at ringside. Braun Strowman does Andre The Giant proud, using his stature to dominate the match and snag the win.
Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar (c) for the Universal Championship
The main show kicks off with Alexa Bliss saying she can make WrestleMania moments happen whenever she wants, which leads to her summoning Hulk Hogan to deliver some catchphrases, a moment that’s interrupted by Paul Heyman marching to the ring. He says if Lesnar can’t go on last, he’s going on now so that he can take care of business and hop on a plane to Vegas “where my client is appreciated.” That means, this is really happening, right now!
Brock doesn’t even let Rollins get in the ring and finish his entrance. He lays him out with an F-5 outside the ring, and suddenly this is looking like every other Lesnar match, where he hits an early F-5 on his way to victory. Lesnar takes his time on the outside, tossing Rollins over the announce tables. He’s in no rush, because the match hasn’t even started.
Finally, they’re back in the ring. The ref makes sure Rollins can compete, but Lesnar has no patience for this. He throws Rollins to the outside again, throws him around some more, including a brutal shot through the hood of the announce table.
They get back in the ring again, and the bell is rung. Lesnar pins Rollins in the corner and demolishes him with driving shoulders and multiple German suplexes. Desperate, Rollins does what he needs to do: when the ref gets knocked out of the ring, Rollins hits Lesnar with a low blow and follows it up with a Curb Stomp. Lesnar gets back up, and Rollins hits him with another. It’s
AJ Styles defeated Randy Orton
This match begins in clinical fashion, two veterans waiting for their moment, trying to anticipate what their opponent is about to do. Styles dodges an early RKO attempt, and uses that opening to gain some control with a dropkick and a forearm smash to the outside of the ring.
Orton tries to slow things down in the ring, but Styles keeps the pressure on, hitting Orton with a number of forearms and running clotheslines, following that offense up with a neckbreaker that sends Orton to the mat. Orton does get some shots in here and there, laying out Styles with a beautiful powerslam, but it’s all Styles early on, coming close to getting Orton to tap while in the Calf Crusher.
On Tuesday night’s SmackDown, Orton caught AJ Styles in an RKO while trying to deliver a Phenomenal Forearm. Here, Styles fakes him out and then uses that to hit him with a springboard 450. Styles goes to the well too many times though, and Orton ducks the next move and hits a nasty backbreaker. That seems like a turning point, as Orton puts Styles on the top rope and then delivers a massive superplex. The height on it is ridiculous.
Orton gears up for an RKO, but Styles counters with an enzuigiri. Orton comes back with another, connects this time, but Styles somehow kicks out. Very few people ever do that, but Styles’s pedigree speaks for itself. So, Orton goes for broke: an RKO off the top rope. It’s pretty high risk for a guy like Orton, and it shows. Styles sneaks out and gets back in the match with a Pele kick. Orton rolls to the outside, but
The Usos (c) defeated Aleister Black & Ricochet, The Bar, and Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
In this Fatal 4-Way match, where anybody can be tagged, it’s Jey Uso and Aleister Black starting things off. Sheamus makes a quick tag in though, showing how quickly the dynamic of the match can
Ricochet makes his way into the match, showing off his impressive high-flying skills, but his offense is cut short not only by an uppercut from Cesaro but then a swing that seems to go on forever. Cesaro spins him around 32 times. It’s all fast-paced action from there. Aleister Black gets some good offense in on Rusev, but his partner Shinsuke Nakamura comes in and takes control of the match until Ricochet breaks up a pinfall with a shooting star press (like he tends to do). Those two teams go at it for a while, but nobody can get the win. Rusev, in particular, is frustrated when he can’t put Ricochet away.
Then, in one of the match’s craziest moments, Ricochet somehow comes out of a massive 5-man superplex unscathed, and nearly gets the win when he hits a 630 on Sheamus, only to have his pin broken up by one member of every team. Then, it’s one finisher after another. Uppercuts, superkicks, and Kinshasas are traded until The Usos are left alone with Sheamus. They connect with a double superkick to his jaw and then climb the ropes for a double splash that sees them leave WrestleMania with the SmackDown Tag Team Championships still around their waist.
Shane McMahon defeated The Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere match
Shane McMahon insists on getting three entrances here. Three. He’s truly a McMahon, totally in love with himself. And The Miz is looking to wipe that smug smile off his face.
The Miz is all emotion to start, and Shane plays off that. He not only runs away to start the match, he eventually puts his hands on Miz’s father, luring The Miz into chasing him around the ring until Shane gets him in a vulnerable position. It’s all Shane early on, taking out The Miz with strikes and then loading him up on the announce table and smacking him with a monitor. Shane heads to the top rope to deliver his patented dive on the table, but Miz’s dad hops the barricade and steps between Shane and his son.
Shane challenges Miz’s father to get in the ring. He puts his fists up, ready to defend his son. Shane goes right after him, beating him down with kicks, which instantly gets Miz up from the outside. He beats Shane to the outside and then tosses him over the barricade before checking on his father, who’s down and out. When he gets help, Miz heads right back to Shane, jumping over the barricade and hitting Shane with a barrage of fists.
They fight their way to the massive LED support for the entire WrestleMania ring structure, and that’s when things really get nasty. Miz wraps Shane’s leg around a steel post and then smacks his knee with a chair. He delivers shot after shot to Shane’s back. They fight into the crowd and around to the international announce tables, one of which Miz throws him through. He hits him with a monitor, which sends Shane flying over a steel barricade, onto the roof of a golf cart, and then onto the concrete floor. Somehow, Shane kicks out of the pin, which really just gives Miz more time to beat the holy hell out of the man who disrespected him and his family.
The fight moves out to a camera platform, which all just looks super dangerous. Shane gets trapped on an edge of a 15-foot drop, nowhere to go. He tries to apologize, to get Miz to stop the attack. It’s no use. Miz has anger in his eyes, and he turns Shane around and suplexes him off the platform. It’s incredible. It’s a devastating move, the only one The Miz feels is appropriate to end Shane. But, off the impact, Shane McMahon ends up on top of The Miz, and that gives him the three count for the win. After all that vengeance and anger, it’s Shane who gets the win.
The IIconics defeated Sasha Banks & Bayley (c), Beth Phoenix & Natalya, and Nia Jax & Tamina for the Women’s Tag Team Championship
Tamina and Bayley start things off here, the second-ever title defense of the Women’s Tag Team Championships, before every single team spills into the ring. Beth Phoenix and Natalya work on taking out Nia Jax, perhaps the biggest threat in the match, and then back in the ring Peyton Royce goes to work on Sasha Banks. The IIconics do good work early on, keeping Sasha grounded and getting a few near falls early.
Sasha eventually makes a tag though, and that allows Banks and Bayley to work some double team moves on Royce and then Phoenix. A sneaky tag from The IIconics brings them back into the match, but Phoenix and Natalya work them over. Essentially, these three teams trade offensive blows while Tamina and Nia Jax are nowhere to be found, recovering on the outside somewhere.
Jax and Tamina find their way back into the ring eventually, laying out The IIconics with a double Samoan Drop, tossing Phoenix and Natalya to the outside, and then putting Bayley and Banks into position for a double splash. Jax gets pushed off the top though, and Phoenix and Natalya
Kofi Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan (c) for the WWE Championship
It’s been a long road to this moment for Kofi Kingston, but here at MetLife Stadium, the entire crowd is behind him. Kofi starts out hot. Bryan tries to square up with him and engage in some chain wrestling, but Kofi uses his quickness to get Bryan on the outside, where he hits him with a flying trust fall.
So, Bryan takes a breather, uses Rowan to put some distance between them, and then goes to a submission-based offense when back in the ring. Kofi tries to hit back with athleticism, executing a double stomp after dodging some attacks, but it isn’t long before Bryan gets back to the mat and the ground game, right where he wants Kofi.
Then, Kofi goes for the high-flying move, like he does, and it backfires. When Bryan rolls to the outside Kofi heads to the top rope and tries to jump into Bryan, only to smash into the announce table instead. That gives Bryan the opening he needs. He goes straight for Kofi’s injured midsection, hitting him with knees, strikes, and attacks on the ropes.
Bryan keeps Kofi on the ground and his arms around his midsection, forcing Kofi to use energy just to breathe. Then he hits Kofi with running kicks in the corner. When Kofi finally goes for a counter, Bryan manages in his own reversal, locking in a Boston Crab that once again puts pressure on Kofi’s back.
Momentum shifts when Bryan gets Kofi on the top rope, and Kofi fights off three attempts at a suplex. He takes that time to recover, and hits Bryan with a splash to the back for a near fall. The two trade fists in the middle of the ring, the crowd clearly behind Kofi. They counter each other’s moves endlessly until Bryan tries to put Kofi in the Yes Lock, and Kofi escapes by kicking him in the head, and KofiMania is still alive.
Bryan loads up the running knee, Kofi flips it into and SOS, and Bryan flips that into a Yes Lock. Kingston is stuck in the middle of the ring, but he somehow gets a foot on the bottom rope, forcing a break. So, Bryan goes clinical. Its Yes Kick after Yes Kick after Yes Kick. Kofi asks for more, and then fires back with his own kicks and a reverse suplex that comes real close to getting the job done. The crowd is coming unglued at this point.
Bryan, clearly dazed, rolls to the outside, and Kofi is confronted by Rowan. Rowan lays out Big E and Woods, but when Kofi hits him with a kick, Woods and Big E recover and nail Rowan with Midnight Hour. Back in the ring, Kofi goes for Trouble in Paradise, but Bryan counters with the running knee. Somehow Kofi kicks out, with barely a millisecond to spare. Bryan is pissed, and he just starts kicking Kofi in the head.
Then, another Yes Lock. The ref checks on Kofi, and he’s still in it. He fights out, and starts pummeling Bryan with punches. Then, he delivers his own kicks to the face. Kofi loads up Trouble in Paradise. He stalks Bryan. He runs, Bryan is at a loss, and Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise. He goes for the pin. The ref counts 1, 2, 3, and it’s really, truly happened. Kofi Kingston, after 11 years, is WWE Champion. And he doesn’t have to carry around that nasty eco-friendly belt, because Big E and Woods brought back the proper WWE Championship for him to share in the ring with his kids. If you got to the end of this with dry eyes, you’re stronger than I am. A moving, important, beautiful WrestleMania moment for the ages. Kofi Kingston, your new WWE Champion.
Samoa Joe (c) defeated Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship
This match was in question after Mysterio was injured during a match on Monday, and quite frankly, he might have done better to not show up. Joe goes right after Rey, who counters with a 619, but when he heads to the top rope, Joe catches him in the Coquina Clutch and that’s it. Rey passes out, and Joe retains in about a minute.
Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre
This is Reigns’ return after his battle with Leukemia, and McIntyre has been looking to put The Big Dog in his place. So, this is personal and emotional. Reigns has been a stalwart of WrestleMania for years, and you know he’s looking to make his mark here after almost missing the show.
McIntyre is scary physical early on. He throws Roman across the ring a few times and keeps the Big Dog grounded with some submissions. Reigns gains control briefly, but when he misses a drive-by kick, McIntyre pummels him with punches and then slams him off the apron with a suplex to the floor.
McIntyre takes Roman to the top rope, and Reigns thinks he’s caught his opponent. He hits him with a few fists, but McIntyre, hanging from the top rope, somehow pulls himself up and throws Reigns off the top rope. “I broke The Shield,” he says as he lays into Reigns, and that seems to motivate the Big Dog. He delivers a clotheslines, a big boot, and then a successful drive-by that has McIntyre reeling.
That’s the momentum shifting. Reigns
Elias concert interlude
This is very confusing to start. Elias plays a “concert” with two other versions of himself, one on piano and one on drums. It all looks so
It’s a moment nobody ever expected: John Cena, back as the “Doctor of Thuganomics,” here to lay a
Triple H defeated Batista in a No Holds Barred Match
Batista is back again, and he’s ready to force Triple H out of the ring for good. He goes right after Triple H early, fighting him to the outside and throwing him over the announce table. It doesn’t take long for the No Holds Barred match to get brutal. Triple H busts out a steel chain and whips Batista across the back before choking him with it. Then he uses pliers on Batista’s fingers and stomps on them, all but breaking his fingers.
Back in the ring, Triple H traps him in a chair and then goes to work on him with needle-nosed pliers, ripping out Batista’s nose ring. It’s sheer brutality, a completely sadistic start to the match. It’s hard to see how Batista could even recover. He does though, slamming Triple H on two announce tables, following it up with chair shots to the back. Batista brings him back in the ring, gets a near fall, but Triple H kicks out and the match goes on.
Batista tries to up the brutality, bringing Triple H onto the announce table for a Batista Bomb, but Triple H
Triple H decides it’s time for all this to end, so he goes for his signature sledgehammer. He heads into the ring to use it, but Batista hits him with a spear that garners a near fall and almost ends Triple H’s career. He picks him back up, hits a Batista Bomb and dodges a sledgehammer attack, and yet still Triple H kicks out.
What’s left to do? Batista brings the steel steps into the ring, heads to the top rope for a superplex, but has it reversed by Triple H, who slams Batista onto the step with a powerbomb. He follows that up with a Pedigree and somehow Batista still kicks out. He’s got just enough to counter Triple H’s offense and smack him with a DDT on the stairs. The brutality continues, with no end in sight.
Then, Ric Flair makes his presence known. Pissed off about Batista using him to get this match, Flair comes to ringside and hands Triple H a sledgehammer. He distracts Batista, allowing Triple H to hit Batista with the sledgehammer and then execute a Pedigree for the win, assuring that his in-ring career continues and Batista’s return to WWE is ruined.
Baron Corbin defeated Kurt Angle in Kurt Angle’s Farewell Match
This is Angle’s last match in WWE, and he gets dominated early on. Corbin counters all his offence and keeps the gold medalist grounded with a number of punches. Angle fights back with a trio of German suplexes, and then goes for an Angle Slam, which Corbin counters with a big boot. Then it’s a deadly Deep Six that Angle barely kicks out of.
Angle hits an Angle Slam, but Corbin kicks out. So, Angle goes for the Ankle Lock, and that brings Corbin to the brink, but he still manages to power out of it, mocking the wish for John Cena to appear in the process by waving a hand in front of his face. Angle, feeling like he can still get it done, goes for a moonsault, but he’s not as young as he used to be. Corbin moves out of the way, picks Angle up, and then hits the End of Days for the win, and a legend goes out on his back like some of the best legends in the business, as respectful “You Suck” chants rain down.
Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley (c) for the Intercontinental Championship
It’s not exactly Balor that Lashley is up against here, but rather “The Demon,” who is a completely different competitor, which is something Lashley finds out when “The Demon” goes on the offensive early, taking out his opponent with a number of attacks.
Lashley nearly ends “The Demon” with a spear through the rope and two more spears in the ring, but Balor manages to kick out and then powerbomb Lashley. That leaves Lashley prone, and “The Demon” heads to the top rope, hits the Coup de Grace, and Balor becomes a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey (c) and Charlotte Flair (c) for the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships
For the first time ever, women were in the main event of WrestleMania, as Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair battled in a Triple Threat match where the winner would go home with both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships. You can read all about the main event here.
And that’s it for WrestleMania 35, one hell of a show packed with a handful of moments that we’ll remember forever. We’ll see you back here tomorrow for the RAW after WrestleMania.
