In the lead-up to WrestleMania 36 on April 4 and 5, Sportsnet is airing past WrestleMania cards for WWE fans across Canada. Check out the full broadcast schedule here.
WrestleMania 35 airs Friday at 12:00 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, and Kevin Michie is looking back at the event’s biggest moments to tee it up.
One year later, a lot has changed.
WrestleMania 35 was presented in front of over 80,000 fans at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, clocking in at over seven hours long.
WrestleMania 36 will be presented without fans inside the WWE Performance Center and will be spread out over two nights.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of WrestleMania 35, let’s take a look back at some of the more noteworthy matches and storylines surrounding the event.
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KofiMania was perfect
Sometimes the greatest matches and rivalries within WWE are created organically. Kofi Kingston’s ascent to the WWE Championship at WrestleMania is the perfect example.
Kingston replaced an injured Mustafa Ali in a gauntlet match to determine who would enter last in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Kingston won the gauntlet, and then came close to winning the WWE title in the ensuing chamber match.
Momentum continued to swell behind Kofi creating a surge of fans demanding Kofi get his shot at the title, which WWE acquiesced to, eventually slotting Kingston into a WWE Championship match at ‘Mania.
The roadblocks put up in storyline by Vince McMahon to try and stop Kofi from reaching the championship match at ‘Mania were terrific, further adding to the outpouring of support. Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan was a superb opponent both in and outside of the ring for Kofi.
KofiMania culminated with an emotionally entertaining match between Bryan and Kingston, and Kofi’s first WWE Championship after 11 years in the company.
Kurt Angle deserved a better farewell opponent
Kurt Angle is one the greatest pro wrestlers to ever set foot in a ring. WrestleMania 35 was set to be his farewell show, wrapping up a career of 20-plus years. Fans were looking forward to paying their respects to one of the all-time greats in his wrestling finale.
There was one problem with Angle’s swan song, though. His opponent was someone that a majority of fans weren’t interested in seeing. Angle went one-on-one with Baron Corbin, a wrestler whom WWE saw as a strong heel for the future.
In theory, it made sense for Angle to lose to Corbin, as that should have elevated the younger wrestler for the future. However, in hindsight the win hasn’t done much for Corbin. He was elevated into the role of “King” Corbin after a King of the Ring victory, but even with his new moniker, he doesn’t move the needle for the WWE Universe.
Corbin’s appointment as Angle’s final opponent is even more troublesome in hindsight when looking at other wrestlers who were available that evening.
John Cena began his WWE career face-to-face with Angle, kicking off one of the greatest careers in the history of sports entertainment. Cena wasn’t scheduled for a match at WrestleMania 35, but did end up making a memorable appearance, confronting Elias in his old “Doctor of Thugonomics” character. However, his spot on the card that evening would have been much better served in a match against Angle.
A Cena-Angle farewell match could have been similar to the fantastic Ric Flair retirement match at WrestleMania 24, where Flair was retired by the great Shawn Michaels.
Angle’s farewell could have been better and should have been better. The professional wrestling legend deserved a better send off.
WWE misses Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey hasn’t set foot in a WWE ring since the main event of WrestleMania 35. Rousey concluded her first year in the wrestling business that evening with a triple-threat main-event match against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. In Rousey’s lone year as a performer on the WWE roster, the former UFC champion displayed a fantastic aptitude for the ring, learning extremely quickly, which eventually led to a championship victory.
Fans soured on Rousey in the months leading up to ‘Mania 35, though, which never made a lot of sense to me. Fans seemed to think a non-wrestler was being gifted a main event slot, despite the fact that Rousey was a legitimate mixed martial arts athlete and a lifelong wrestling fan.
Since Rousey’s departure, the WWE women’s division has been lacking new and exciting matches. Becky Lynch has carried the division as far as she could following her victory against Rousey, however there are only so many legitimately threatening opponents. Charlotte Flair has also done her part, but there hasn’t been a ton of interest in the rest of the division.
Rousey is reportedly focusing on her family life at the moment, but if she were to come back soon after WrestleMania 36, there are several ready-made rivalries and partnerships formed to create compelling television.
Should Rousey return, it would be of great benefit to the WWE women’s division and the WWE Universe.
