14 WWE WrestleMania 34 Impulse Reactions
8. Rowdy As F*ck
An immaculately booked match, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's sh*tkicking at the hands of Kurt Angle and (mainly) Ronda Rousey was the type of star-making display 'The Game' hadn't unearthed from his bag of tricks since his year 2000 prime.
Hunter looked as lithe and ripped as he had since that turn-of-the-century pomp, perhaps motivated by the collected effort to make the 'Rowdy' former UFC Champion look larger than life and unbelievably at ease in her brand new profession.
It also marked the first time 'The Game' sprinkled some of his NXT dust on his own work. Grabbing his wife's hand to stop the submission in tribute to The Revival's futile effort in a TakeOver Title defence, Hunter deftly employed the desperation elsewhere in the bout too. Offering callbacks to countless past exchanges with both Kurt and Ronda as well has his collision course with Stephanie last year, Hunter was in (now) rare form against the debutant and her semi-able accomplice.
Restricted in movement and pace, Kurt Angle was limited despite his best efforts, and Stephanie performed her one job (dodging a submission hold quite literally as if her arm depended on it) with expert aplomb. The match of the night and one of the best of the year, this match - like Rousey herself - was an unqualified success.