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WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...
and
livestreaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but n ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of ev ...
produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2018, at the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saint ...
in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
. The card comprised fourteen matches, including three on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, which was the main match of the Raw brand,
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
retained the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. In another prominent match, which was the main match from SmackDown, AJ Styles retained the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand di ...
against
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his fir ...
. Other matches saw Ronda Rousey make her WWE debut and Daniel Bryan return to the ring after nearly three years of absence. Rousey teamed with
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
to defeat
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match, while Bryan teamed with Shane McMahon to defeat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Also,
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
defeated
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
in an impromptu match. Also on the card,
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently inactive. She is a second-genera ...
retained the SmackDown Women's Championship against the 2018 Women's
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
Winner Asuka, ending Asuka's undefeated streak. A 10-year-old named Nicholas (son of referee John Cone) became the youngest champion in WWE history when he teamed with
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and former strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Braun Strowman. In WWE, he is a one-time U ...
to defeat Cesaro and Sheamus for the
Raw Tag Team Championship The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main rost ...
. It was also the first time that the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE' ...
was defended at a WrestleMania. WrestleMania 34 received mixed to positive reviews from fans and critics, with the world title matches being subjected to more negative responses. The main event between Lesnar and Reigns particularly received heavy criticism and was decried by some as one of the worst main events in WrestleMania history. Despite this, other aspects of the show, such as the return of Daniel Bryan, the Intercontinental Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship matches, and the debut performance of Ronda Rousey, were widely praised.


Production


Background

WrestleMania is considered WWE's flagship
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...
(PPV) and
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...
event, having first been held in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. It is the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April. It was the first of WWE's original four pay-per-views, which includes
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
,
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, and
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
, referred to as the "Big Four". WrestleMania is ranked the sixth most valuable sports brand in the world by
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
, and has been described as the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...
of
sports entertainment Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience. Unlike typical sports and games, whi ...
. WrestleMania 34 was scheduled to be held on April 8, 2018, at the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saint ...
in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
. It featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown
brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held in the state of
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
and the second held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which previously hosted WrestleMania XXX in 2014. On October 30, 2017, traveling packages for the event were sold; tickets went on sale on November 17, 2017, with individual tickets costing from $35 to $2,000. The three official theme songs for the event were " Celebrate", "
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
" (both by
Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician ...
), and "Let the Good Times Roll" (by
Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Most ...
). On April 8, prior to the start of WrestleMania, WWE and Snickers held the WrestleMania Block Party at the
Champions Square Champions Square is an outdoor festival plaza located adjacent to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is known as the premier tailgating space for sports events held at the stadium and the nearby Smoothie King Center. The plaza also ...
plaza. The tailgate event included appearances from Alundra Blayze and
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
as well from active competitors
Tamina Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu (born January 10, 1978) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tamina. She is a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Cham ...
and R-Truth. American duo
Chloe x Halle Chloe x Halle are an R&B duo composed of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey. At a young age, the sisters performed in minor acting roles before moving from Mableton, Georgia, to Los Angeles in 2012. The two began posting music covers to YouTube a ...
performed "
America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two neve ...
" to kick off the main card of WrestleMania. Since 2014, WWE attempted to establish Roman Reigns as their top babyface and the next " face of the company", but a significant portion of fans rejected Reigns in this role, taking issue with his perceived special treatment, real-life demeanor, wrestling moveset, speaking skills, and character presentation. This resulted in Reigns being booed while he wrestled in the main events of
WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...
,
WrestleMania 32 WrestleMania 32 was the 32nd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. This was the last Wre ...
, and
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was the 33rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 2, 201 ...
. The perception that Reigns was the "company's chosen one" led to widespread expectations that Reigns would triumph in the main event of WrestleMania 34 to become WWE Universal Champion; and it was also anticipated that while doing so, he would be again received negatively by the WrestleMania crowd.


Storylines

The card comprised fourteen matches, including three on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed
villains A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...
, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands. Storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show ...
'', ''
SmackDown Live ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'', and the cruiserweight-exclusive ''
205 Live ''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired exclusively on the WWE Network until March ...
''.


World championship matches

After
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
won the Universal Championship at
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was the 33rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 2, 201 ...
, he seldom defended the title, which was often criticized, especially by Roman Reigns. As the 2018 men's
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
winner chose SmackDown's world championship, Lesnar's WrestleMania 34 opponent was determined through the Elimination Chamber
match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden mat ...
, which was won by Reigns. The two had also previously fought at
WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...
in March 2015 over Lesnar's WWE World Heavyweight Championship (now WWE Championship), but without a decisive winner as
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Reigns. Despite being advertised, Lesnar did not appear for several episodes of ''Raw''. Reigns repeatedly criticized Lesnar and also questioned WWE Chairman/CEO
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
, for which he was temporarily suspended. When Reigns nevertheless appeared on ''Raw'' to confront Lesnar, he was arrested by U.S. Marshals. The handcuffed Reigns assaulted the Marshals, but was then attacked by Lesnar. Heyman then declared that should Lesnar lose, they would not re-sign with WWE. Their match was scheduled as the main event, which would be the first Universal Championship match to main event WrestleMania. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
, SmackDown's
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his fir ...
won the men's Royal Rumble match, earning a world championship match of his choosing at WrestleMania 34. Nakamura chose SmackDown's
WWE Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
AJ Styles. At Fastlane, Styles retained the WWE Championship in a
six-pack challenge Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, thus solidifying the Styles-Nakamura match at WrestleMania. The two expressed respect for each other, but Styles warned Nakamura to not take him lightly this time, bringing up their previous encounter in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority sha ...
in January 2016, where Nakamura had defeated Styles.


Undercard matches

After failing to win the Elimination Chamber match, Intercontinental Champion
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
demanded a WrestleMania challenger. Seth Rollins then came out and defeated Miz, followed by
Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (), and is a member of The Judgment Day. Devitt is widely known for his t ...
, who also defeated him. The following week, both Rollins and Bálor confronted Miz, leading to a 2-on-3 handicap match between Rollins and Bálor and The Miz and his Miztourage (
Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
and
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...
), in which Rollins pinned Miz. Afterwards, Raw General Manager
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
scheduled The Miz to defend the his championship against Bálor and Rollins in a triple threat match at WrestleMania. At the Royal Rumble, Raw's Asuka won the women's Royal Rumble match. As a result, Asuka earned the right to challenge for a women's championship of her choosing at WrestleMania. On the advice of Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, Asuka postponed her decision until both women's champions had defended their titles at Elimination Chamber and Fastlane, respectively. Following
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently inactive. She is a second-genera ...
's successful defense at Fastlane, Asuka appeared and challenged her for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania. Asuka explained that she chose Flair as she wanted to challenge the best women's champion in WWE, while Flair vowed to end Asuka's undefeated streak. After
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was a ...
won her second
Raw Women's Championship The WWE Raw Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
in August 2017, she formed a friendship with
Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and tw ...
, who also had championship aspirations. Jax failed to earn a title shot at the Royal Rumble and also lost to Asuka at Elimination Chamber in a match that would have added her to Asuka's WrestleMania championship match. After Asuka defeated her in a rematch on ''Raw'', Bliss consoled Jax and said she deserved a title match. When Asuka explained her reasons for challenging Charlotte Flair, Bliss and
Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Country music, country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE a ...
confronted her and called out Jax to wrestle Asuka, but Jax did not appear. Later during Jax's match, Bliss and James, who were unaware of the live microphone, were heard disparaging Jax, who was upset by this. The following week, Bliss issued a fake apology and continued to insult Jax, who chased off the champion. When Bliss complained to Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, he scheduled her to defend the Raw Women's Championship against Jax at WrestleMania. After defeating The Revival (
Dash Wilder Daniel Marshall Wheeler (born May 17, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Cash Wheeler. Wheeler is also known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Dash Wilder. ...
and Scott Dawson), Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus said they had defeated every tag team on Raw and issued an open challenge to any tag team to face them at WrestleMania. On March 12, General Manager Kurt Angle scheduled a tag team battle royal with the winning team receiving a championship match at WrestleMania.
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and former strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Braun Strowman. In WWE, he is a one-time U ...
interjected himself into the match without a partner and won. The following week, Angle decided that Strowman would receive a Raw Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania as long as he found a partner. Strowman said that he did not need a partner, but would have one. He defeated both Cesaro and
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European i ...
in singles matches, but did not reveal his partner prior to the event. At WrestleMania 31 in March 2015, then- UFC mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey appeared alongside The Rock and embarrassed The Authority (
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
and his wife, Stephanie McMahon). She made some appearances over the next couple of years and was rumored to compete in the 2018 women's Royal Rumble match, however, Rousey denied that she would be at the event. Rousey eventually appeared at the end of the event, confirming that she had signed full-time with WWE. During the official contract signing at Elimination Chamber, her debut match was confirmed for WrestleMania 34. Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, whom Stephanie (now Raw Commissioner) previously had threatened to fire and whom Triple H had turned on at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
, then brought up the incident from WrestleMania 31 and warned Rousey that Triple H and Stephanie wanted revenge. Rousey threw Triple H through a table and was slapped by Stephanie before eventually signing her contract. The following night on ''Raw'', Stephanie was forced to apologize. As she was leaving the ring, Triple H attacked Angle. The following week, Stephanie said Rousey could choose any Raw wrestler as her opponent at WrestleMania except the champion; she chose Stephanie. When Triple H objected, Angle pointed out that both Triple H and Stephanie had contracts as wrestlers and scheduled a
mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...
pitting Stephanie and Triple H against Rousey and himself. A Q&A session on the final ''Raw'' before WrestleMania ended with Stephanie putting Rousey through a table. Throughout the summer of 2017, Kevin Owens feuded with SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon; at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fen ...
, Kevin Owens defeated Shane in a Hell in a Cell match thanks to the help of his friend-turned-rival,
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to jo ...
. Zayn explained that he acted out of disappointment about not getting the expected opportunities at SmackDown and realized that Owens was right all along in his questionable actions. Owens and Zayn continued their feud with Shane, including attacking him at Survivor Series and Shane threatened to fire them if they lost their match at
Clash of Champions ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
, while SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan seemingly favored the two by giving them WWE Championship opportunities at the Royal Rumble, when AJ Styles retained his title in a handicap match and again at Fastlane, when Owens and Zayn were among the five challengers. During the latter match, the feud escalated as Shane broke up pinfall attempts by Owens and Zayn. Shane then took an indefinite leave of absence, however before leaving, he scheduled Owens and Zayn to fight each other at WrestleMania 34. Owens and Zayn reacted by attacking Shane. The following week, Daniel Bryan revealed that he was medically cleared to compete again; his last match was in April 2015. Later, Bryan fired Owens and Zayn for their attack on Shane and was attacked himself. In response, Bryan said he regretted favoring them and scheduled a tag team match featuring himself and Shane against Owens and Zayn, with the latter duo being rehired if they won. At Fastlane,
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. He is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
won the United States Championship from
Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
. Following the match,
Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
, who felt that he should have been in the match, attacked both men. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Roode invoked his rematch clause for WrestleMania 34. The following week, Orton was scheduled to defend the United States Championship in a triple threat match against Roode and Mahal at WrestleMania. On the March 27 episode, after the team of Mahal and Rusev defeated the team of Orton and Roode, Rusev demanded to be added to the title match since he pinned Orton. The match was subsequently changed to a fatal four-way. Throughout 2017,
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They ar ...
(Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and The New Day ( Big E,
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...
, and
Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Xavier Woods. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-half of the current NXT Tag ...
) fought at various events over the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE' ...
. The original feud ended at Hell in a Cell in October with The Usos victorious. The New Day earned another title shot at Fastlane in March, however, both teams were attacked by
The Bludgeon Brothers Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, later known as the Bludgeon Brothers, were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were also known as being members of the cult faction The Wyatt Family, led by Bray Wyatt. After work at house shows from June ...
(
Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada *Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Illi ...
and
Rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...
), injuring Jey, Kingston, and Woods. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Big E and Jimmy teamed up to exact revenge in a losing effort. On the March 27 episode, New Day lost to The Bludgeon Brothers by disqualification after The Usos attacked the latter. A triple threat tag team match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship was then scheduled for WrestleMania 34. Determined to compete at WrestleMania 34,
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
entered himself into the Royal Rumble match to earn himself a world championship match at WrestleMania, however, Cena made it to the final three and was eliminated. He then qualified for Raw's Elimination Chamber match, hoping to earn a shot at the Universal Championship at WrestleMania, and, using his free agent status, was among the five challengers in the WWE Championship match at SmackDown's Fastlane, but came up short in both attempts. Back on ''Raw'', Cena pondered attending WrestleMania as a fan, but then decided to challenge
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
, whom he had tried to challenge a few weeks prior; Cena stated that it was not WWE executives who were preventing the match, but Undertaker himself. Over the remaining weeks leading up to WrestleMania, Cena received no answer, despite repeatedly antagonizing Undertaker. On the final ''Raw'' before WrestleMania, Cena decalred he would not take a spot from any full-time wrestler in one of the other matches. He stated he was not mad about not having a match, but was mad at Undertaker for not answering.


Pre-show matches

On January 23, 2018, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore was released from WWE, vacating the title. A separate general manager was then appointed for ''205 Live'', which was previously controlled by the Raw General Manager, to address the situation. On the January 30 episode of ''205 Live'', new general manager Drake Maverick scheduled a 16-man single elimination
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
to crown a new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, culminating with the finals at WrestleMania 34. The tournament took place over the next several weeks, with Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali advancing to the finals at WrestleMania's pre show for the vacant title. On the March 12 episode of ''Raw'', a battle royal open to any female performer of any brand was scheduled for WrestleMania 34. The match, originally named in honor of
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...
r
The Fabulous Moolah Mary Lillian Ellison (July 22, 1923 – November 2, 2007) was an American professional wrestler better known by her ring name The Fabulous Moolah. She began her career working with promoter Billy Wolfe and his wife, wrestler and trainer Mild ...
, was introduced to serve as a female counterpart to the annual
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesake battle royal held as part of WrestleMania Weekend by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugura ...
. However, a few days later, the match was renamed " WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal" due to backlash from fans and critics regarding Moolah's past treatment of other women. Like the men's match, the winner received a trophy, and both the men's and women's battle royals were scheduled for the Kickoff pre-show. The main storyline going into the women's match was the increasingly strained friendship between Bayley and
Sasha Banks Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks. Banks previously wrestled on ...
. At Elimination Chamber, Banks turned on Bayley in the namesake match. Banks then was the first to note her participation in the battle royal on the March 19 episode of ''Raw''. A week later, Bayley confirmed her participation and was confronted by Banks, resulting in a backstage brawl. On the final ''Raw'' before WrestleMania, Banks saved Bayley from a post-match ambush by Absolution's Sonya Deville and
Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose. Rose began ...
. Banks expected Bayley to be grateful, but the two instead fought.


Event


Pre-show

Three matches were contested on the two-hour long WrestleMania 34 Kickoff pre-show, with the second hour shown live on
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...
. During the pre-show, it was shown that John Cena had indeed attended the event as a fan, and cameras followed him as he took his seat in the audience, a few rows back from the ring. The first match on the pre-show was the fifth annual
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesake battle royal held as part of WrestleMania Weekend by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugura ...
. In the closing moments, "Woken" Matt Hardy, Mojo Rawley, and
Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 13, 1984) is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Baron Corbin. Pestock is a former off ...
were the final three competitors.
Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (born May 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Bray Wyatt. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler, fo ...
, who had previously feuded with Hardy, appeared and surprisingly, Wyatt assisted Hardy in eliminating Rawley and distracted Corbin, As a result, Hardy then eliminated Corbin to win the match and trophy. Next, Cedric Alexander faced Mustafa Ali in the tournament final for the vacant WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Ali performed a "054" on Alexander, who broke the pinfall attempt by placing his foot on the bottom rope. In the end, Alexander executed a "Lumbar Check" on Ali to win the title. The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal culminated in
Sasha Banks Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks. Banks previously wrestled on ...
and Bayley teaming up to eliminate Natalya and
The Riott Squad Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to orld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where she performs under the ring name Ruby Riot. Prange has also worked in World Wonder Ring Stardom (a ...
( Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and
Liv Morgan Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is a former SmackDown Women's Champion. In ...
). Banks and Bayley then shook hands only for Bayley to quickly eliminate Banks. Thinking she had won the match, Bayley began celebrating, not realizing that
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bor ...
had not actually been eliminated. Naomi then performed a "Rear View" on Bayley and eliminated her to win the match.


Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
defending the Intercontinental Championship against
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
and
Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (), and is a member of The Judgment Day. Devitt is widely known for his t ...
in a triple threat match. In the end, Bálor performed a "Coup de Gráce" on Miz, only for Rollins to perform a "Curb Stomp" on Bálor on top of Miz. Rollins then performed another "Curb Stomp" on Miz to win the title, becoming the 19th Grand Slam Champion in the process. Next,
Charlotte Flair Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently inactive. She is a second-genera ...
defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka. After an evenly contested match, Charlotte forced Asuka to submit to the "Figure-Eight Leglock" to retain the title and to end Asuka's undefeated streak, coincidentally mimicking the end of The Undertaker's streak by Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania XXX which was also held at the same venue 4 years prior. After the match, the two embraced. After that,
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. He is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
defended the United States Championship against
Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
,
Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
(accompanied by Sunil Singh), and Rusev (accompanied by
Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler who currently appears in Impact Wrestling where he performs under his real name. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he per ...
) in a fatal four-way match. In the climax, Singh distracted Rusev which allowed Mahal to perform the "Khallas" on Rusev to win the title. Next,
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
and Ronda Rousey faced
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match, which was Rousey's in-ring debut and Stephanie's first match at WrestleMania and Angle's first since Wrestlemania 22. Angle and Triple H started the match, while Stephanie distracted the referee to attack Rousey. Rousey eventually tagged in and faced off with Stephanie. She also faced off against Triple H and at one point in the match had Triple H on her shoulders. Angle performed an "Angle Slam" on Triple H for a nearfall, Triple H then executed a "Pedigree" on Angle, but Rousey broke up the pin. In the end, Rousey forced Stephanie to submit to an
armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, ...
for the win. In the next match,
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They ar ...
(Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defended the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE' ...
against The New Day ( Big E and
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...
, accompanied by
Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Xavier Woods. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-half of the current NXT Tag ...
) and The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) in a triple threat tag team match. In the end, Harper pinned Kingston after an
aided superbomb In professional wrestling double-team maneuvers are executed by multiple wrestlers instead of one and typically are used by tag teams in tag team matches. Many of these maneuvers are combination of two throws, or submission holds. Most moves are k ...
to win the title.
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
had attended the first two matches in the audience until a referee had informed him that
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
had arrived at the arena. Following the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match, Cena made his entrance for an expected match with Undertaker. The lights went out, but instead of The Undertaker, Elias appeared. After a brief confrontation, Cena attacked
Elias Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several h ...
. As Cena was leaving, the lights went out again and Undertaker's coat and hat (which had been left behind at
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was the 33rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 2, 201 ...
) appeared in the ring and were struck by lightning. The Undertaker then made his entrance to the panicked shock of Cena and the match was made official. Undertaker dominated most of the match and utilized his "Old School" and flying clothesline maneuvers. Cena countered a chokeslam attempt into a spin-out powerbomb. As Cena attempted a "Five-Knuckle Shuffle", Undertaker sat up and performed a chokeslam followed by a "Tombstone Piledriver" to defeat Cena in a match lasting under three minutes, extending the Undertaker's WrestleMania record to 24–2. Next, Daniel Bryan teamed with Shane McMahon to face Kevin Owens and
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to jo ...
with the stipulation that if Owens and Zayn won, they would be rehired to
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...
. Before the match began, Owens and Zayn attacked Bryan and Shane. Owens
powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...
ed Bryan onto the ring apron, temporarily taking Bryan out of the match. Shane decided to face Owens and Zayn alone and the match officially started. Owens and Zayn dominated the match until Bryan recovered. Zayn performed a "Blue Thunder Bomb" on Shane for a nearfall. Zayn performed a "Helluva Kick" on Bryan for a near-fall. Owens tagged in and performed a pop-up powerbomb, but Bryan kicked out again. In the end, Bryan forced Zayn to submit to the "Yes Lock" to win the match. Per the match's stipulation, Owens and Zayn remained fired from SmackDown. Next,
Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was a ...
, accompanied by
Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Country music, country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE a ...
, defended the
Raw Women's Championship The WWE Raw Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
against
Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and tw ...
. Jax attacked James before the match began, eliminating James as a distraction. In the end, Jax executed a
Samoan drop Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...
on Bliss from the second rope to win her first Raw Women's Championship. In the following match,
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
defended the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand di ...
against Royal Rumble winner
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his fir ...
. At the conclusion of the match, Styles performed a "Phenomenal Forearm", and Nakamura performed a "Kinshasa" to the back of Styles' neck, both for nearfalls. In the end, Styles countered Nakamura's attempt at a "Kinshasa" into a "Styles Clash" to win the match and retain the title. After the match, the two showed mutual respect for each other. Nakamura kneeled down to present Styles with the WWE Championship, but then attacked him with a low blow and a "Kinshasa" on the floor, thus turning
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exer ...
. In the penultimate match, Cesaro and Sheamus defended the
Raw Tag Team Championship The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main rost ...
against
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and former strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Braun Strowman. In WWE, he is a one-time U ...
and a partner of his choosing. After all three men were in the ring, Strowman said he waited until then to reveal his partner, which would be a random fan from the live audience. Strowman went out into the crowd and chose 10-year-old
Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...
, son of referee John Cone. Strowman and Nicholas won the title after Strowman performed a
running powerslam A Powerslam or simply Slam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of the opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam or the scoop powerslam. ...
on Cesaro. With this win, Nicholas became the youngest WWE champion in history.


Main event

In the main event,
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
accompanied by his advocate Paul Heyman defended the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. Lesnar performed three German Suplexes on Reigns who hit Lesnar with three Superman Punches and two
Spears A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastene ...
on Lesnar for a near-fall. Lesnar performed two F-5s on Reigns with each scoring a near-fall. Frustrated, Lesnar put Reigns through an announce table with an F-5 and performed another one in the ring scoring another near-fall. Lesnar removed his gloves and attacked Reigns with
elbow strikes An elbow strike (commonly referred to as simply an elbow) is a strike with the point of the elbow, the part of the forearm nearest to the elbow, or the part of the upper arm nearest to the elbow. Elbows can be thrown sideways similarly to a hook ...
, causing Reigns to bleed profusely from the head and performed a fifth F-5 for a near-fall. Reigns recovered and performed two more Spears on Lesnar for a near-fall. In the end, as Reigns attempted another Spear, Lesnar countered into a sixth F-5 to retain the Universal Championship. The match would perhaps end up being more notable due the majority of the crowd signaling their strong disinterest by chanting among other things "boring", "this is awful" and calling for former WWE wrestler
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known f ...
. Even beach balls were also thrown around the crowd which resulted in cheers and boos. After WrestleMania showed the highlights, a disappointed Reigns was comforted by a fan with a handshake and with pain in the head walked to the backstage slowly accompanied by various referees making this defeat the worst of his career.


Reception

Jack de Menezes, writing for ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', stated that WrestleMania 34 "brought a mix of brilliance, bemusement and disappointment". The Intercontinental title triple threat was "brilliant" and "frantic", the WWE Title match was an "eye-catching affair" culminating in a "stunning heel-turn", "Rousey made a splash on her in-ring debut", and "Daniel Bryan once again captured the imagination of the WWE Universe". Cena-Undertaker left "fans stunned, bemused and feeling shortchanged at what had occurred", while finally the main event was a "slow-burning match" which was "a huge anti-climax".
Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...
of the ''
Wrestling Observer The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...
'' noted that the main event was "physical as hell", but the "crowd seemed to react more to beach balls in the crowd" and "didn't even pop for" Reigns' kick-outs. Meltzer felt that the match was "done for sympathy for Reigns when it was over to make him a babyface as they concentrated on showing him all beaten up". For the other matches, Meltzer noted that the women's battle royal "was rushed through" and it was not the first of its kind at WrestleMania as promoted, pointing to a previous version in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
. The Intercontinental title triple threat was "all action" which "felt like three babyfaces" as the Miz "didn't work as a heel at all in the match." He thought Asuka-Charlotte was "a great match" with "hard hitting and pretty emotional stuff", while the mixed tag team match was "excellent"; he noted that Ronda Rousey "at no point looked out of her element, she was crisp in just about everything", and that it was "one of the better pro wrestling debuts I've ever seen". Finally, Meltzer noted that the announced attendance of 78,133 "isn't even close to real although it may be August before the real number is out". Joshua Needelman of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' wrote that this event was "one of the most entertaining WrestleMania's in recent memory" except for an "anticlimactic" and "remarkably disastrous end", as the "New Orleans crowd made it clear the main event was not what they wanted", which saw them booing Reigns. Meanwhile, the Styles-Nakamura match was "surprisingly slow and plodding, with the intensity only reaching its expected level toward the end". Also, the mixed tag match "exceeded expectations", while the U.S. title match result drew the ire of fans because "fan-favorite Rusev" was pinned. Lastly, Needelman noted that Daniel Bryan, "perhaps the most popular wrestler of the past decade", "had the crowd in the palm of his hands" during his match.
Wade Keller Wade Keller (born May 22, 1971) is an American professional wrestling journalist who runs the ''Pro Wrestling Torch'' newsletter. Keller has hosted ''The Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast'' on PodcastOne since 2017. ''Pro Wrestling Torch'' Kel ...
of ''Pro Wrestling Torch'' described the Lesnar-Reigns main event as a "disaster". Keller noted that the "tired and disinterested crowd" had booed Reigns and chanted "
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known f ...
", "Boring" and "This is awful!" As for the other matches, Styles-Nakamura was "a letdown" given the expectations, Cena-Undertaker was "crowd pleasing", the mixed tag match "went about as well as anyone could have hoped", and Asuka failing to "really showcase her signature spots before losing" "almost felt like a downgrade in Vince McMahon's faith in her". Troy L. Smith of Cleveland.com wrote, "In my mind, Lesnar-Reigns is one of the four worst WrestleMania main events ever, based on build, execution and immediate aftermath". After comparing the four aforementioned events, Smith concluded that the WrestleMania 34 main event was indeed the worst due to the "utter disdain" it produced, with there never being a more "disinterested" crowd for a WrestleMania main event. Smith also rated the main event as the "worst match of the night", but in contrast, he felt that the rest of WrestleMania 34 was "pretty great for most of its seven hours".


Aftermath


Raw

In recent years, WWE has gone out of its way to warn viewers that the post-WrestleMania ''Raw'' crowd are "non-traditional" and will "boo the guys they normally cheer" and "cheer the guys they normally boo". This announcement was repeated after WrestleMania 34, but critics pointed out that the crowd cheered wrestlers "regardless of whether they are babyfaces or heels" and that "on this night, they cheered everyone that WWE wanted them to cheer with one exception... Roman Reigns." On the post-WrestleMania 34 episode of ''Raw'', Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, with her arm in a brace, bragged about her WrestleMania performance, stating she knew that she would bring out the best in Ronda Rousey. Rousey then made her entrance and listened to Stephanie praising her. When the two hugged, Ronda grabbed Stephanie's arm, pulled the brace off, and applied the armbar. Also on ''Raw'', another Universal Championship match between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Roman Reigns was scheduled for the
Greatest Royal Rumble WWE Greatest Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on April 27, 2018, a ...
event, this time as a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, with no justification given for the match. Reigns acknowledged that Lesnar had re-signed with WWE instead of going back to the UFC, then said he was not directly told about the rematch and alleged that there was a conspiracy against him. After Reigns concluded that he would eventually beat Lesnar if he kept receiving title matches against him, a returning
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...
appeared. Joe called Reigns a failure and said that after Lesnar defeats him at Greatest Royal Rumble, Joe would be waiting for Reigns at Backlash. New Raw Women's Champion Nia Jax had a tag team match against Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. Nia's partner was
NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
call-up
Ember Moon Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wo ...
. The team won after Moon performed the Eclipse on Bliss for the pin. Also in the women's division, Sasha Banks lost to Absolution's Mandy Rose, when interference by Bayley backfired. A match between Banks and Bayley the following week ended in a no-contest when the two were attacked by The Riott Squad, who were traded to Raw. Backstage, Braun Strowman and Nicholas informed Raw General Manager Kurt Angle that they were relinquishing the Raw Tag Team Championship due to Nicholas's schedule as a fourth grader, but vowed to come back for the title when Nicholas was done with school. When Cesaro and Sheamus demanded their titles back, Angle said they could regain them at the Greatest Royal Rumble. A four-team tournament to determine their opponents, called the Tag Team Eliminator, was won by André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner "Woken" Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. New Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins was interrupted by Finn Bálor. The Miz then came out and said that he wanted his contractual rematch at Backlash.
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
then returned from injury and teamed with Rollins and Bálor in a winning effort against Miz and The Miztourage. The following week, Miz was traded to SmackDown, splitting him from The Miztourage, who remained on Raw and were later renamed to The B-Team. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn appeared on ''Raw'', seeking jobs from General Manager Kurt Angle. Angle scheduled a match between the two, with the winner receiving a Raw contract. However, the match ended in a double countout with neither receiving a contract. The following week during the Superstar Shake-up, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon overruled Angle and awarded Owens and Zayn each a Raw contract.


SmackDown

On the first ''SmackDown'' after WrestleMania, Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Daniel Bryan – now a full-time wrestler – resigned as General Manager, and introduced Paige, who retired from in-ring competition the previous night on ''Raw'' due to injuries, as Bryan's successor. She then scheduled a match between Daniel Bryan and WWE Champion AJ Styles. Shinsuke Nakamura, who had issued a mocking apology for attacking Styles, attacked both Bryan and Styles during their match. A rematch between Styles and Nakamura for the championship was scheduled for the Greatest Royal Rumble. The Usos earned a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match against The Bludgeon Brothers at Greatest Royal Rumble by defeating The New Day. Also, Randy Orton defeated Bobby Roode and Rusev in a triple threat match to earn a United States Championship match. Following this, new United States Champion Jinder Mahal was traded to Raw, but lost the title to Jeff Hardy, who moved to SmackDown. The winner of the championship match between Mahal and Hardy at Greatest Royal Rumble would face Orton at Backlash. SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair commented on her WrestleMania match and future challengers, but was interrupted and attacked by NXT's
The IIconics The IIconics are an Australian professional wrestling tag team consisting of Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee. They are best known for their time in WWE as The Iconic Duo and later The IIconics, under the individual names of Billie Kay and Peyton ...
(
Peyton Royce Cassandra McIntosh (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Peyton Royce and for her time in Impact Wrestling where she performed as Cassie Le ...
and
Billie Kay Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie Kay and for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she competed as Jessie McKay. In Jun ...
). After this,
Carmella Carmella is a female given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Carmella DeCesare, a playmate for ''Playboy'' magazine * Carmella Flöck, a courier for the Austrian Resistance during the Anschluss of 1938–1945. * Carmella Sab ...
cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and won the title. Also in the women's division, Natalya confronted Naomi, calling her victory in the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal a disappointment. Naomi then defeated Natalya in a match.


205 Live

On ''205 Live'', Cedric Alexander celebrated becoming WWE Cruiserweight Champion, with Mustafa Ali showing his respect.
Buddy Murphy Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews as a member of the stable House of Black. He is best known for his time with WWE w ...
then attacked the new champion from behind and performed ''Murphy's Law'' on him.


Results


WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament


Notes


References


External links

* {{WWEPPV, WrestleMania WrestleMania 2018 WWE Network events 2018 WWE pay-per-view events Professional wrestling in New Orleans 2018 in Louisiana Events in New Orleans April 2018 events in the United States