Sunday night, WWE presented a WrestleMania 35 broadcast that featured new champions crowned, unforgettable moments, iconic Superstars and a reportedly botched finish to its historic main event that could have long-reaching consequences...for all the right reasons.
Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to become both Raw and SmackDown women's champion in the marquee bout of the show, but it was her pinfall on Rousey that will be responsible for conspiracy theories, enhanced intrigue and potential follow-ups in the weeks and months after the show.
That finish, intended or not, was responsible for only one hot take following the show. What other matches, Superstars and angles were the talk of the wrestling world?
The conclusion to the Triple Threat Winner Take All main event of WrestleMania 35 came from out of nowhere and seemed to have left even Ronda Rousey stunned and flustered. As Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com and Brad Shepard of Pro Sports Extra reported, she had good reason: The finish was botched.
The final seconds of the bout saw Becky Lynch counter an attempted Piper's Pit into a crucifix roll-up, during which it appeared Rousey got her shoulder up. The referee counted three anyway and The Man was declared the victor.
While only time (and several other insider reports) will tell if that was indeed a botched finish or the plan all along, one thing is for certain: it sure as hell makes for more intriguing television than Lynch simply tapping out Flair would have.
Controversy creates cash, and WWE has plenty of it on their hands following Sunday's main event. Rousey can easily contest the outcome, claiming her shoulder was off the mat, and demand a rematch.
Considering the excitement that existed earlier this year, when it appeared a one-on-one match between Rowdy and The Man would headline The Showcase of the Immortals, that potential rematch is a big-money one for the company.
Perhaps most importantly for the company as it attempts to keep people talking after its biggest show, it drums up potential conspiracy theories that will have fans debating and discussing the match on social media well beyond the show's conclusion.
That type of publicity is free and incredibly effective.
For the first time in two decades, WrestleMania came and went without an appearance from The Undertaker.
The Deadman did not interrupt Elias, nor did he stalk to the ring to pay homage to Kurt Angle following his final match. Instead, the entire 7.5-hour broadcast wrapped up without The Phenom taking to the Grandest Stage of Them All for the first time since 2000.
And that is not a bad thing by any means.
This WrestleMania, more than any in recent memory, was a celebration of the men and women busting their ass night in and night out on a full-time basis.
Yes, there was the obligatory Triple H match that felt more like a grueling marathon than a fun and free gimmick bout, but other than that, the show highlighted the young faces that make up the WWE roster.
Trotting out Undertaker, who has looked every bit his age in his last few appearances, would have made for nice nostalgia and a memorable moment on a stage he was instrumental in building, but it also would have taken time away from Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship victory, the historic first women's main event or Roman Reigns' first singles match since last October.
The performers working WWE's demanding schedule have earned that spotlight, and to rob them for no reason other than a thrown-together appearance by The Deadman would have done them a great disservice.
As satisfying as it was to watch Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch enjoy their WrestleMania moments and win championship gold on wrestling's biggest stage, a closer look at the WWE they now take over suggests their victories will ultimately change nothing.
Rollins has been at the forefront of Raw, title or not, for the last two years. Even when he was the Intercontinental champion, he was battling Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose in Raw main events. He has been the uncrowned "guy" on the flagship for quite some time.
A shiny new belt will not change his position, nor will it drastically alter the booking of the brand. That is, with the exception of the fact that the heavyweight champion will actually be on the show every week.
Lynch has been the centerpiece of booking in WWE for the last eight months. Her meteoric rise has afforded her television time most women in the sport could only dream of. Her coronation Sunday night was the moment the wrestling world had waited months to see but, like Rollins, will have little effect on the product as a whole.
She was already heavily featured. She was already appearing on both Raw and SmackDown as the undisputed most popular Superstar in the industry. Her win Sunday was merely WWE acknowledging her hard work, unprecedented fan support and breakthrough performances dating back to August.
Kingston is an interesting case because the new WWE champion organically rose to the top of SmackDown Live, thriving on the response of the people. Unlike Rollins and Lynch, there were no plans for him to be in that spot. He seized an opportunity, busted his ass and the people responded.
While his win Sunday was the single most unforgettable moment of the entire show, his future feels a lot more uncertain than Lynch's or Rollins'.
Will Vince McMahon and Co. give him a legitimate shot to run with the title, or was his win merely to appease fans before he drops the title in short order and SmackDown returns to business as usual?
One can only hope that is not the case, but would it really surprise anyone if it was?
From the start of the Kickoff Show to the moment Becky Lynch raised the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships high in the air, fireworks exploding around her, 7.5 hours had passed.
Seven. And a half.
WrestleMania may be a celebration of all things great about sports entertainment, but that is too long for any show.
It was reflected as much in the crowd's apathy to the second-half of the card. Kofi Kingston's championship win burnt them out, and it was not until midway through the women's title main event some four hours later that they woke up.
Watching wrestling should not be taxing, yet by the time Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin took to the squared circle, this writer was drained and so, too, was the MetLife stadium crowd.
It is understandable that WWE wants to pack its Showcase of Immortals with as many Superstars as possible. They work incredibly hard throughout the year for a spot on the card and have earned the right to be showcased in some form or fashion.
At the same time, WWE is hurting the quality of its most prestigious event with these marathon shows that drag on and overstay their welcome. They are not fun, they lack crowd heat due to exhaustion and rarely end with the emotional exclamation point you would want.
Lynch's moment should have been the culmination of decades of hard work, but instead, it was a rushed one because someone in the production truck realized, "wow, this show is literally ending Monday morning."
WWE was lucky in that wins for Kingston, Lynch and Seth Rollins sent fans home happy. Otherwise, a great deal of discussion Monday would be the ungodly length of the show and how unenjoyable it became after the fifth hour.
