10 Biggest WWE WrestleMania 34 Missed Opportunities

8. Five Frustrating Minutes

WWE WrestleMania 34 NXT Battle Royal
WWE.com

Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon necessitated a buffer match.

The crowd were absolutely molten throughout the former UFC Champion's in-ring debut, and whatever followed was always going to receive a muted reaction while they regained their energy. Thus, WWE were right to sacrifice a match by curtailing its runtime, throw it in the death spot, and deliberately cool the audience down.

Unfortunately, they chose the wrong one.

SmackDown's tag division were sold short. The Usos, New Day, and Bludgeon Brothers had worked a solid feud heading into WrestleMania 34, and their shared in-ring chemistry should've guaranteed an impressive spectacle. Instead, they were handed less than five minutes of ring time, resulting in a nothing match that nobody will remember a week from now.

Harper and Rowan's win was limp and unsatisfying. They aren't over, and winning the SmackDown Tag Team Titles in such muted fashion didn't help at all. Had their victory come following the berserk Triple Threat that was promised, they'd have felt like stars, but the company decided that presenting the belts as something worth caring about wasn't a priority in New Orleans.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.