10 Amazing Wrestling Callbacks You Totally Missed
3. Sledgehammer Subtle
You'd be forgiven for missing this one, since, by the time Triple H and Batista entered the ring at WrestleMania 35, the show had already ran long by several months.
And then, when they started telling their story, it was so brutally long that few paid attention. Because it was a Triple H match at WrestleMania, it was of course the longest thing on the show.
It wasn't very good, at all, but it had potential. Elements of the match were fun. Triple H removing Batista's nose ring with pliers was a funny and shockingly well-shot spot, and that sort of thing should have been emphasised more. Elsewhere, it was far too ponderous and self-important for its own good. 10 punchy minutes of meme fodder were exactly what that show needed, but Triple H got in his own way with yet another attempt at an "epic".
In one spot, echoing the events of Vengeance 2005, Triple H attempted to strike Dave with a sledgehammer before eating a Batista bomb regardless.
Since the gap between Vengeance 2005 and WrestleMania 35 was almost as long as the match, it didn't resonate with the nostalgic warmth intended.