10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE WrestleMania 33
A matter of Life and Death.
So that was the 'Ultimate Thrill Ride'. Or was it?
'Ultimate' is a broad term, but admittedly WrestleMania was a pay-per-view stretched beyond all extremes.
Comparisons are almost certain to be drawn with last year's show. Going another seven hours or so (if you include the pre-show), WWE again threw down the shackles of time management, but thankfully did far less harm with their over-indulgence this time.
However, unlike the coming out party for the 'Women's Revolution' in 2016, this was not a night for the female stars to shine. Raw's wonky booking killed the chances of Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Nia Jax assembling a classic before they even hit the ring.
Similarly, the Smackdown women were forced into the old Divas division cool down spot. Required to hit a flurry of big moves in a run-up to a single pinfall, the booking at least gave the crowd a hometown winner and impressive laser light show in the form of a Naomi victory, but as wrestlers, they deserved better.
Also deserving better were Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe. Key players in recent months, Braun was hastily dumped from the Andre The Giant Battle Royal and Joe never even appeared on screen to aid either of his new television comrades Kevin Owens or Triple H.
However, these were some of the lesser evils on a show filled with the typically steep peaks and valleys of a modern-day supercard.
10. A Modest Proposal
The mixed tag team match between The Miz, Maryse, John Cena and Nikki Bella had a million things going on at the same time as it became an archetype for the modern wrestling spectacle.
At its core, it was an old fashioned heels-and-babyfaces match where the good guys comfortably counter the baddies on an even keel.
On a metatextual level, it was a richly-deserved spotlight for one of the hardest working men in the entire organisation. In a game with predetermined 'winners', The Miz was the real victor, with the remarkable love shown from the crowd reflecting everything he'd done in the last few years to elevate himself and others around him.
And alongside both of those, it was a pre-arranged highlight package to fit around a segment sure to be the bedrock of a completely different show altogether.
The marriage proposal from John Cena to Nikki Bella was a key part of the angle, but clearly belonged on the reality TV vehicle it will eventually call home.
As it was, the contest managed to serve all masters, and the demeaning way in which the heels were comfortably despatched will be all but forgotten when 'The Champ' disappears to Hollywood and the true wrestling 'A-Lister' almost certainly makes his deserved ascent back to WWE Championship battles.