10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE WrestleMania 33

1. The Best In The World (And AJ Styles)

WrestleMania 33 Undertaker
WWE.com

Going into WrestleMania, there seemed a collective wave of optimism amongst fans that knew deep down that one of their very favourites was being given the short shrift.

The point was well-hashed that AJ Styles deserved a 'proper' opponent instead of occasional stunt machine Shane McMahon, but people fairly noted that 'Shane O Mac' wouldn't let his match go without grabbing a headline, thus bathing 'The Phenomenal One' in a WrestleMania spotlight.

The former point proved true, but the finest talent on the books got a WWE-sized thumb planted right on his forehead with the latter.

It appears that Shane McMahon is WWE's create-a-wrestler with the secret power to mirror his opponent and thus beat them at their own game. Years ago it was flying with X-Pac or brawling with Test, whereas now it's going hold for hold with MMA Undertaker or comfortably out-wrestling THE BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD.

And in case you missed Gotch, Flair, Hart, Michaels and Fujinami all rolled into one, merely listen back and let the commentators tell you!

Watching with your eyes closed, all you'd know is that McMahon is a master of every single art-form in pro wrestling, and Styles was a top-level contender sneaking his victory.

And don't be fooled - the win wasn't enough. AJ will probably turn babyface shortly on account of being the aforementioned BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD, but he reasonably predicted total domination before the bout, and the story of the match and a dancing grey-haired pillock made him look a like a naive liar.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett