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[2018-04-08-WWE-Wrestlemania XXXIV] Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs HHH & Stephanie McMahon


ShittyLittleBoots

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THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTE HOOT. Other than a few comedic moments where Steph managed to defend an Armbar from Ronda, this was so brilliantly put together. GREAT FIP segment w/ Angle - I knew this was gonna be all about HHH keeping him away from tagging to Ronda as long as he could & it was very enjoyable to watch. HHH was very good working the heat on him, and when it was time for Angle to get some offense in, HHH was bumping & selling like he was fucking Ric Flair or something. Steph cutting Ronda off before she could tag in a few times was awesome & when she FINALLY got that hot tag, HOLY SHIT. WHAT A DAMN HOT TAG IT WAS. Ronda's meanface is absolutely incredible & her throwing Steph around was so, so, SO enjoyable. Her beating the SHIT out of HHH was amazing & HHH's selling of it was also amazing. The whole finishing stretch w/ the crowd going crazy, nobody caring about rules anymore PWG style was absolutely INCREDIBLE. WHAT A DAMN SPECTACLE. ****1/2

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This is a match where I REALLY want to love it to high heaven for everything it pulls off so exceptionally, but I can't as there's one glaring fault that dampened the entire segment for me. I'm talking about non-wrestler Stephanie McMahon holding her own and defending multiple armbars from former UFC champion Ronda Rousey. Never have I been so taken out of the moment.

 

Kurt Angle didn't need to be here either. The guy's a lumbering mess and even finisher spamming TNA Angle is a distant memory. Angle could of been replaced by Cena, Rollins or even Big Show and it would of improved the opening segments with Triple H.

 

Okay, on to the good. This match had many high points. Rousey was fantastic. An utter beast and she looked like a huge star, putting my worries of her bombing to bed as quick as she did to Alexis Davis at UFC 175. The spot where she had Triple H on her shoulders was awesome. Triple H also excelled during the moments that mattered. I can even compliment Stephanie's performance despite that spot.

 

Mostly a great match and undeniably memorable moment, so my complaints don't really amount to jack.

 

★★★¾

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I'm talking about non-wrestler Stephanie McMahon holding her own and defending multiple armbars from former UFC champion Ronda Rousey.

 

Come on, her brother used to go toe to toe on the mat with Olympic Gold medal Kurt Angle. This is a family of fighter.

 

But yeah, that was the only moment where I though "Oh, shit, seriously ?". The whole match was still glorious though, the finish being an all-time classic with Stephy actually showing how good she can be when she wants to (too bad it's 5% of the time).

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I loved that she only managed to gain an advantage in the first place by clawing Rousey's eyes. Plus Rousey sold it great and her eye shadow was all over the place like Steph had maced her or something. Fighting off the armbar might've been a bit too much, but I really wasn't bothered by it considering the comeuppance she got in the end was perfect.

 

I'm still in shock at how good this was.

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I'm a bit of an outlier on this because, while I thought it was good, and Rousey looked really good, I think it needed about 5 mins shaved off for me to really consider it in the very good-great range. They did some cool stuff, but Steph constantly blocking the armbar was just too much for me. Also, Hunter and Angle wrestling in slow-motion really detracted from the match. I did really like the Rousey/Hunter face-off though.

 

Ronda looked great. The stuff she was good at is kind of the stuff that can't really be taught (charisma, facials, fearless bumping) whereas the stuff that wasn't so great (mainly just needing to tidy up some of her offence) is absolutely stuff that she can learn. Which is a really good sign.

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I watched this again just there.


The miracle of all miracle matches. Going in I fully expected this to blow. I don't think any of us in the Wrestlemania thread were anticipating much beyond a car crash. Angle somehow moves slower than Undertaker and Undertaker moves slower than my 88 year old grandfather. HHH is less interesting to me than lots of uninteresting things. Rousey has looked awkward at best in the build up. Yet this match went from kinda nothing when it was Angle/Helmsley to way hotter than expected when Rousey got in to flat out awesome by the end. I was practically in slack-jawed disbelief at one point. When they did Rousey/Helmsley I fucking flipped my melon and when she put him in the armbar I was stripped to the waist. I thought he was actually going to tap for a second there. Steph was the best McMahon on this show by a million miles and I loved how she was basically a cheapshotting Jim Cornette for the most part. Did she look stronger against Rousey than she should've? Maybe. But she took the advantage by clawing Rousey's eyes and Rousey sold it great and her eye shadow was all over the place like Steph had maced her or something, so it's not like she bested her with wrestling proficiency. She certainly never looked as strong as most of us probably feared she would. I wouldn't have hated it if Rousey just ragdolled her silly, but I don't mind her showing a wee bit of vulnerability out the gate. Can't say enough good things about Rousey in this match and it felt like a true star making performance. I mean, she absolutely felt like the biggest deal on this card and she probably main events Summerslam and that is fucking wild. Match was probably laid out to the letter but I don't give a shit. Lay everything else out to the letter if it ends up being this enjoyable. I wasn't sure how it'd hold up on a rewatch, but it was somehow even better and it was already one of the most fun live wrestling experiences I've ever had. Amazing spectacle and genuinely one of my favourite matches in company history.
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This was light years away from any right it had to be. Yeah it probably went a bit long, Triple H and Angle looking like they were wrestling in slow motion at times, Trips looking like he was having seizures when he was guarding against Rousey's strikes, and Steph may have booked a little too strong at times but you know what?

 

Who cares!

 

This was super fun and the crowd was really hot for it since this was before the Taker/Cena shitshow. I can't believe I'm writing this but dare I say that Steph was the MVP of this match? Sure, Rousey looked great but Steph's heeling was top-notch and super entertaining. Match of the night for sure.

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Ronda squaring up to HHH was electric. The crowd was absolutely on fire for that and it was probably the single biggest highlight of the show. All-time great debut performance from Rousey - her moves, her presence, expressions and even the way she threw herself into the post with full commitment. Kurt looks like shit and should never be in a match again but even that didn't detract from the sheer spectacle that this was. Stephanie was incredible in this. She's possibly the best McMahon in-ring tbh, even if the arm bar blocking stretched credibility. But it's pro-wrestling.

 

This was everything that Wrestlemania is supposed to be.

 

A million stars.

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Steph was definitely the MVP of the match, she might have been the MVP of the whole weekend.

 

Could definitely get behind this. While I can see why you could get upset about her blocking the armbar a couple of times, in the end it just made it even more worthwhile when she did finally get caught with it, I thought it was a glorious ending, as Ronda sadistically just waited for Steph's fingers to be prised apart one by one while the look of sheer terror on Steph's face for what was about to happen was fantastic,

 

Both women were incredible in this one.

 

And Stephanie's always been a miles better performer than Shane.

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I am not a fan of Triple H, Angle, or Stephanie, and Ronda's never even had a match before, so how in the world was this so good? I almost don't even care about pro wrestling in 2018, but this match made me want to start watching so I can watch Rousey progress. The build up to this match was terrible, but this match was anything but. Stephanie was an amazing heel the likes of which I don't think exist anymore. She was expressive in ways that made you believe everything she was doing, and I really don't mind her defending armbars or gaining an advantage by going to the eyes. This match felt like a spectacle, and I like the idea of Stephanie McMahon training HARD to develop an armbar defense. Of course, it wouldn't make sense for her to go on offense without going dirty and the eye rake was played up as an important moment, which lets me know that it was a very conscious decision to make sure it's explained how it was even possible for Stephanie to gain an advantage. It looked great too, with Ronda's face pinkish-red and eye shadow smeared. I agree with all the Steph praise in the thread.

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Too long? Maybe. Too much offense for Steph? Definitely.

 

So much fun? Yes.

 

This was ridiculously good with Steph stooging like an old school heel and Rousey being a murderous badass. Rousey overdelivered for sure. Strong in ring charisma that made her come across as a real killer. Her athleticism also meant she was pretry damn smooth in the ring.

 

This is fun pro wrestling, over the top heel stooging and a killer babyface. Sometimes simplicity works.

 

****1/4

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  • GSR changed the title to [2018-04-08-WWE-Wrestlemania XXXIV] Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs HHH & Stephanie McMahon
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