Ringside at ‘WrestleMania 32’: Bigger, But Not Necessarily Better

They had to have a dark segment to mollify the crowd.

That’s all I could think about as I walked up the steps at AT&T Stadium after the conclusion of WrestleMania, the biggest night of the sports entertainment year. The show that, for the most part, WWE manages to get right. Last night, they had to resort to playing to the crowd after the broadcast ended, just so the boos and “bullshit” chants would stop. After the cameras turned off in Dallas, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (the heels in all this, remember?) hugged in the ring, raised each other’s hands and posed for the crowd while the Game’s music blared. The crowd cheered, even though H had just lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns and Steph, dressed like a dominatrix ringmaster, had earlier dismissed the masses as unfit to lick her husband’s boots.

That was the ending to the biggest – and longest – WrestleMania in history. Taking it in from AT&T Stadium, the home of the Cowboys, was a unique experience. While the crowd probably wasn’t the 101,763 that the Rock would later announce, it was huge, a sea of humanity that filled the cavernous stadium. In fact, the crowds were too much for the stadium workers at first, and getting into WrestleMania was a nightmare for many fans. However, once everyone eventually found their seats, they witnessed a roller-coaster ride that brought the WWE Universe from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Before looking at the bad, it’s worth pointing out that there was also a lot of good.

The legends. What can I say about the legends? It would’ve been enough to see Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin take out the League of Nations (and Xavier Woods). The pop those three received would’ve been the biggest of the night in most circumstances. This wasn’t any night though, or any regular WrestleMania. The Rock’s annual appearance certainly excited the crowd, but it wasn’t his entrance (replete with a flamethrower and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders) that had them going. Instead, the crowd gradually became unhinged as the Wyatt Family came out to confront the Rock, and then the man normally known as Dwayne Johnson announced that he would wrestle a match for the first time since WrestleMania 29. Granted, that match was only 6 seconds long (another record set!), but it was a match nonetheless. And even when Cena came out, the “John Cena Sucks” sing-song seemed to be a little bit more lighthearted than usual, since he was coming to the aid of the Great One.

It was a big night for the Divas – or should I say women – on the roster. The Bellas got their farewell moment, with Brie winning her five-on-five match with the Yes! Lock and the injured Nikki coming out to celebrate in her neck brace. Before that, Lita got in the ring and, to the delight of the crowd, announced that the Divas title would be retired, and in its place, a new Women’s title would be used. Then, there was the Women’s Championship match. Forget the in-ring action – which was great – the entrances alone made it feel like one of the biggest bouts of the night, and the crowd buzzed from moment one. As a fanbase, we were surprised, and even a little bit disappointed, when Charlotte won, but everything the women did felt important. As opposed to previous events, where people planned their bathroom breaks around the women, this was a pleasant surprise.