10 Biggest WrestleMania 33 Missed Opportunities
2. Stipulation? What Stipulation?
Fan opinion on Seth Rollins vs. Triple H remains divided. Running over 25 minutes, it was WrestleMania’s longest match, and stuck to The Game’s “epic match” formula to a tee. Like last year’s Triple H vs. Roman Reigns main event, the bout was worked at a slow, methodical pace, with Hunter isolating Rollins’ previously injured knee, before falling in the wake of a big Stephanie McMahon bump.
Unfortunately, Triple H and Rollins completely ignored the stipulation. A non-sanctioned bout should open up all kinds of violent possibilities, but aside from a few moves on the outside, there was none of that. Instead, they worked a textbook wrestling match with little differentiating it from a standard contest, which makes you wonder why WWE added the stip in the first place.
The duo could have used the relaxed rules to produced a fun, weapon-filled brawl, but opted not to. Furthermore, while Seth’s knee selling was strong at various points, he completely disregarded the injury by going for a Phoenix Splash near the end. This totally devalued the whole story of the match, and contributed towards this rivalry’s sour ending.