LIVE WrestleMania XXX thoughts - April 6, 2014

10:59 - Top to bottom, that was the absolute best WrestleManias I've seen in years.  We had fresh matches (actually, had ANY of those matches happened in the past?), new people in the main event scene (Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt), some star making opportunities (Cesaro, Shield, Wyatt, Bryan), some legitimately shocking results (the f'n streak ending), surreal moments (Hogan, Austin, and the Rock in the ring at once), some exciting and happy moments (Bryan winning), and, overall, really really smart booking.

The final match was FAR better than I expected it to be.  Like I said, the false finishes really did have me questioning whether they would try to "shock" the fans by having Batista or Orton.  And speaking of Batista and Orton, BOTH of those guys gave an awesome performance tonight.  Orton, in particular, took a brutal fall onto one of the television monitors.  And you gotta respect the fact that Batista, as the true antagonizing villain in this story, took the submission loss.  And overall, the psychology of the match was really great, with the story being whether or not Bryan could overcome his injuries and the general brutality of his opponents to win the match.

But what the hell was up with the zero explanation behind the woman and child that got in the ring with Bryan?

10:51 - AWESOME MATCH!  Those false finishes legitimately did have me at the edge of my seat.  I'm going to enjoy this celebration, then give my full thoughts.

10:42 - Everything about that looked brutal.  Major respect for both Bryan and Orton.

10:34 - I asked Jill Thompson -- who designs Bryan's attire -- what the inspiration was for his boots on Twitter.  She answered that the trunks and boots are both Bruiser Brody inspired.  Since there is actual inspiration behind it.....they're a bit more forgivable.

10:25 - Sigh.  No epic entrance.  No jacket.  Still wearing those boots.

10:23 - I am hoping for a somewhat epic Bryan entrance.  So far, only Triple H and Undertaker have gotten elaborate entrances.

10:22 - Wondering what the chances are of Daniel Bryan not wearing those fur boots.

10:19 - Wondering if, after tonight, they'll consolidate to one championship belt (the WWE Championship).

10:16 - "Is that YOU Paul Orndorff?"  Great delivery.

10:14 - Thank the lord!

10:08 - Cute opening sequence, with AJ and Tamina getting thrown in the center of the circle.

10:06 - Even more depressing would be if AJ Lee lost.

10:01 - Making this a little tougher is the fact that this was probably the least great (not "worst," since it was a good match) Undertaker WrestleMania match in probably a decade.  You could only end this streak once, and, again, Brock was an odd choice.

9:56 - Wow.  Just....wow.  I am in disbelief.  And I can tell these emotions are genuine as well.  The way they handled that was perfect....with no music, no nothing.  Just letting everybody react.  Wow.

Personally, I never thought they'd end the streak.  But Brock is an EXTREMELY odd choice.  He's been so tarnished from his repeated losses and he's not somebody that they can build up and he may not even be around for another year or two.  Very interesting choice.

9:52 - I just now realized that Christian wasn't in the battle royal.  How many WrestleManias has he missed in a row?

9:47 - Am I the only one who doesn't think that these Hell's Gates look all too painful or difficult to escape from?

9:29 - Whoa, the red trim on the hat and jacket are pretty damn cool, actually.

9:26 - Undertaker is back to his Western Mortician look, I see.

9:22 - I can't be the only one who wishes Brock would grow back his crazy viking beard.

9:14 - Part of me expected Warrior to come out in the facepaint and everything.

9:06 - Surprising ending, but not a bad one.  No shame in losing to John Cena at WrestleMania.  And Bray Wyatt certainly did look like a star.

9:04 - Did the Spanish Announce table just say that he should tear apart the OTHER announce table?

8:53 - That was an AWESOME visual.  Five Knuckle Shuffle only to stop due to the crab walk.

8:45 - For that matter, Cena hasn't had an epic entrance the past two years either.

8:42 - Another little thing I love:  that the sheep mask is so beat up.  Makes it seem less like they're just dropping by the merchandise counter prior to the match.

Also, odd that Cena hasn't debuted a new color scheme/t-shirt the past two years.

8:40 - Really cool  how the band stopped playing once he blew out the lantern.  Very nice.  Also, love how it looks like he's talking to himself during his entrance.

8:39 - While Bray coming out to a live performance of his band may seem to be something that would bother me (as noted, I take issue with the Legacy video package because Eminem is such a mainstream person), I actually really like this.....because it's so creepy!  Cool entrance.  And I like the addition of the jacket.

8:36 - I'm guessing Bray wins this one.  I had originally predicted that, but considering we've seen clean and decisive wins for faces in all of our opening matches, I think it's time for a big heel win.

8:33 - Wow, Triple H in the opening match and John Cena fighting in fourth from the bottom?  Perhaps this really IS the beginning of a new era.

8:30 - Another right choice in a winner.  Cesaro was the logical choice and hopefully this is the beginning of a very successful face turn.

8:26 - I have to imagine Kofi was supposed to land on his feet and not fall on the ground.

8:25 - Finally got a glimpse of Mysterio's attire.  Love the Andre the Giant "OBEY" symbol on it.

8:23 - That was actually a really cool visual.  Fandango dancing on the apron, all the action in the ring, and then the audience in the background Fandangoing.

8:17 - I like the half gold/black, half black/gold attire on Goldstu.  Also noticed that Cesaro is in this as well.

8:15 - Big Show is wearing, appropriately, a single strap singlet reminiscent of Andre the Giant's attire.  I'm surprised he went with the "shorts" version instead of the "trunks" version, though.

New orange (or is it red) gear for Sheamus too.  And I'm SHOCKED that Rey didn't get an actual entrance.

8:13 - That was EXACTLY what that match should have been.  Just a convincing win that allowed each member to be highlighted in some way.  Awesome stuff and perfectly satisfying in my view.

8:09 - Those Shield masks are f'n bad ass.  And hey, that was a pretty unique way to make their ring introductions.

8:04 - The right man won and I'm guessing since Daniel Bryan won with the running knee, that we'll see a tap out victory in the title match.  I hope Daniel Bryan does the Randy Savage routine and changes up his attire for the second match.  And that includes getting rid of those boots.

8:02 - I could be wrong, but I think the letters within the crosses on Triple H's trunks and elbow pad are for Stephanie and his three daughters.  That's sweet.

7:58 - JBL sometimes has "off" moments.  Referring to Daniel Bryan beating Triple H as the "most embarrassing loss of Triple H's career" is most certainly an "off" moment.

7:46 - "It is a bulls eye.  And it's a target."  Keep on bringing the goods, Lawler.

7:43 - Apparently that's fur on his trunks.  Which I don't get.  It doesn't seem to go with his character OR the theme of his attire.  Very strange.

7:39 - I find it interesting that Triple H's elbow pads are busier than his trunks.

7:37 - What the hell is the deal with Bryan's boots?  And are there actual chants for Triple H?  Listen, people....if you want to rebel against Bryan, PLEASE do not choose Triple H as the beneficiary.

7:35 - Lame.  Bryan comes out in a t-shirt.  BRING BACK YOUR RING JACKET!

7:32 - Okay, as a heel, that over the time entrance works.  Because he's SUPPOSED to look like a douchebag.  And I really do like this WrestleMania set.

7:29 - Bryan's "you hit like a girl!" is awesome.

7:23 - Very fun opening promo that was a lot less offensive than Rock's opening promo at WrestleMania 27.  Very cool stuff.

7:16 - Does it end with these three?  Do we see anyone else come out?  Warrior?  HBK?  Hart?  Punk?

7:15 - I had a feeling the Rock would come out next, but it hasn't made the moment any less awesome.

7:12 - "It's good to be back here in the Silverdome!"  Made me laugh.

7:09 - Calling the arena the Silverdome and the company WWF.  Oye.  But hey, an awesome moment is about to happen, I think.

7:04 - Fun opening video.  I especially enjoyed the classic moments added to the New Orleans celebration scenes.  Well done.

6:55 - Pretty exciting opening match and a face turn the fans have wanted....and the message we're going out on is that Lita was wearing a long dress?

6:51 - I'm guessing we see a Cesaro face turn right now.

6:45 - So far my prediction is spot on, but it's interesting that the Real Americans have made both eliminations.

6:33 - I'm guessing Los Matadores goes first, then Rybaxel, and then the Usos retain.

6:29 - Is this the first time we're hearing the Rybaxel remix theme?  I like it!  Also, new gear for them AND Los Matadores as well!  Sidenote:  I like how the WrestleMania logo is like a giant HD screen, changing colors depending no the entrance.

6:28 - A lot of people on Twitter are pretty annoyed by the audio issues.  It's definitely distracting, but certainly not something so bad that I'd pick up the phone and order the show on PPV for $60.

By the way, love that Cesaro has a new ring jacket.  And some new ring gear, too.

And incidentally, the sound just got better.

6:13 - The stream feed is still visually fine, but the sound is a little echoy right now.

6:12 - Oh, and here I thought Shawn was joking all those times he said, "I don't know why I'm still here."

6:05 - One thing I forgot to mention in my predictions - will CM Punk appear?  My thought is.....no.  But only because there's no natural appearance for him to make.  The ONLY thing I can think of is him appearing to try (and fail) to cost Daniel Bryan the match against Triple H, but that feels like a long shot.  I feel like the allure of trying to get him back would be to appear (advertised) at WrestleMania. If that's out the window, what difference would two or three months make?

5:54 - So much work has gone into this trophy that I kinda feel like the trophy won't be destroyed like we all originally predicted.

5:39 - I REALLY hope Daniel Bryan brings back his ring jacket tonight.  The t-shirts are cool, but bring back the awesome jacket.

5:34 - I got a kick out of Booker T's comment about how he got heat from Ric Flair for picking Steamboat/Savage as his favorite WrestleMania moment.  Based on what I've seen of him on any Legends panel, he truly does get heated whenever people don't select him as their favorite.

5:20 - It's fun to think about all of the groups of pairings that Undertaker has defeated with his undefeated streak.  As far as factions go, there's all of Evolution and the original DX.  How about tag team champions?  You have Rated RKO, Big Show & Kane, DX, Flair & Batista, Two Dudes with Attitudes.  How about Hall of Famers?  Superfly, Jake Roberts, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Ric Flair.  Pretty impressive who's who there.

5:10 - I'm probably nitpicking here, but I don't like how they're using Eminem in a promo video for Bray Wyatt.  It's a little too mainstream and hip, for somebody who is supposed to be somewhat detached from reality.

5:05 - Since I'm watching the pre-show anyway, might as well kick off my LIVE thoughts.  Loved Shawn Michaels' "I wasn't supposed to be here, so I'll be unprepared."