10 Biggest Takeaways From WWE WrestleMania 34

Quite obviously, this article is full of WWE WrestleMania 34 spoilers. Be warned!

WrestleMania 34 has already divided opinion online, but a general consensus has emerged. Many seem to think that the first half of the show was incredibly strong (like greatest-'Mania-of-all-time levels) before things took a turn for the bizarre later on.

There's no doubt that the second portion of the night was more than a little strange, but even as a whole, WrestleMania was a very eventful one.

From Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt's alliance in the first match of the pre-show to Brock Lesnar's demolition of Roman Reigns in the main event, this year's 'Mania gave us incident after incident.

We saw The Undertaker squash John Cena,

and it wasn't even the most surprising result of the night

. That honour must go to Braun Strowman and his brand new tag team partner, Nicholas - a 10-year-old boy seemingly plucked from the crowd - who became a very unlikely pair of Raw Tag Team Champions.

Of course, a show with so many twists and turns is going to leave us with a lot of questions going forward. We've picked 10 of the most notable takeaways from WrestleMania 34, and take a look at how they could shift the WWE landscape.

10. Where On Earth Is This Nicholas Angle Going!?

Let's do the sensible thing and start off with Nicholas, the new big dog of WWE.

The young fan was later revealed to be the son of referee John Cone, but that revelation hasn't stopped his Raw Tag Team Championship victory being one of the most bizarre WrestleMania moments of all time.

The angle was incredibly divisive online, with some finding it hilarious and fun, and others finding it anything but. Despite this, it at least united fans worldwide in wondering 

what the hell is going to happen next

?

Is Nicholas going to be stripped of the title on tonight's Raw? Is Strowman going to make several defences alongside his new pal, essentially taking part in handicap bouts until he's finally overwhelmed? 

Is Nicholas going to pick up the pinfall at any stage

!?

Whatever happens, it will surely be remembered as one of the weirdest 'Mania results ever - and, due to the nature of the business, don't be surprised to see a fully-grown Nicholas appear for a nostalgia pop in 10 years or so.

9. Will The Heel Turn Benefit Nakamura?

Last night's WWE Championship match had a hell of a lot of hype to live up to. Sadly, in the eyes of many, it wasn't able to - and while Styles and Nakamura didn't put on a bad match by any means, it was overshadowed by many other bouts on the card.

There was one saving grace, however. After AJ had picked up a (somewhat surprising) victory, Shinsuke hit him with a shocking low blow, turning heel in the process.

This has been almost unanimously decreed a Good Thing. Since jumping to the main roster, Nakamura hasn't caught fire in the way WWE intended. His ultra-intense exploits in NJPW and NXT have been diluted beyond recognition on SmackDown, but now that he's a bad guy, perhaps Shinsuke will revert to his old ruthless ways.

8. What's Next For John Cena?

John Cena got squashed at WrestleMania. Seriously though.

I don't think we need to worry about The Undertaker just yet. He likely won't appear again for a while (certainly not in a match), and he's provided us with another classic WrestleMania moment - albeit a shockingly short one.

Cena, on the other hand, finds himself in the same spot as before - only worse. I'd assumed that he would suffer a hard-fought loss to 'Taker, before shaking the Deadman's hand and getting his old mojo back.

Now, having been thoroughly demolished on the Grandest Stage Of Them All, Big Match John's recent bad luck has plumbed new depths.

This story can't be over yet, can it? Something's got to give - and although Hollywood commitments may mean that we see less of Cena in the near future, when he does show up, he's sure to be hurting.

7. How Does Ronda Keep This Momentum?

Ronda Rousey may well have stolen the show at 'Mania in her debut match. We all knew that the former UFC champion would have the athletic capability to impress in a wrestling ring - or at least to avoid messing up badly.

However, as her few promos in the build to her 'Mania debut showed, she was sorely lacking on the mic.

Last night's mixed tag match served as a timely reminder that promo ability and charisma are not necessarily the same thing. Yes, Ronda may stutter over her words at the moment, but she is positively 

dripping 

in in-ring charisma.

The main question now is, having blown the minds of a global wrestling audience, how will Rousey keep her momentum going? WWE have to be very careful with their next steps - but for the time being, it looks as though Rousey is a

far

more capable wrestler than many of us thought.

6. Owens And Zayn Are Showing Up On Raw, Right?

In all the excitement of Daniel Bryan's return to in-ring action, it was quite easy to forget the stipulation of the match.

Bryan and Shane defeated KO and Sami, which now means that the heel pair remain 

fired 

from SmackDown Live. There seem to be two clear options here:

1. They crash SmackDown and ramp up the villainous antics, attempting to win back their jobs via intimidation and brute force.
2. They show up on Raw.

In my mind, the latter seems far more likely. The whole Shane/Bryan/Owens/Zayn storyline feels like it's been going on for several years now, and while D-Bry's unlikely medical clearance may have encouraged WWE to switch up the original plan, it feels unwise to try to reach that destination any longer.

If the heels do indeed head for the red brand, I'd like to see them fight their way in, rather than simply be snapped up by an authority figure.

5. Broken Bray Wyatt!?

WWE's Lake of Reincarnation may not have quite the same effect as in the IMPACT universe, but it has refreshed Bray Wyatt somewhat, at least.

The Eater of Worlds showed up on the pre-show, interfering in the closing stages of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal to hand victory to former nemesis Matt Hardy.

Since winning the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber 2017 and entering a feud with Randy Orton, Wyatt's momentum has slowed to a crawl. This could well be the reset button his career needs, and although it appears to have knocked him a few rungs down the ladder, that could be a good thing in the long run.

What's next for the pair? The recruitment of more allies? A hunt for tag title gold (watch out Nicholas)? A trip to SmackDown so Bray can gain revenge on Orton? Thankfully for the former cult leader, the possibilities are numerous.

4. Why Did Jinder Mahal Win?

Not to sound too blunt about it, but 

why on earth did Jinder Mahal win the United States Championship

?

To be clear, I don't want to disparage the hard work and dedication that Mahal (or any pro wrestler) has put into their career. However, in this specific instance, with a less than successful WWE Championship run in recent memory, and a red-hot Rusev standing in the same ring, I cannot figure out why Jinder went unhindered.

Personally, while I also wanted Rusev to win, I predicted that WWE would keep the title on Orton for now. His run has not lasted long at all, and I figured he'd hit a flurry of crowd-popping RKOs to hide the disappointment of Rusev not winning.

Jinder would probably have been my last guess here. The most shocking thing about the finish wasn't just the fact that he won, but that we saw nothing new. Mahal lifted the title thanks to interference from a Singh brother followed by a Khallas - an ending we saw

so many times

during his WWE Championship reign.

Hopefully, despite returning to Jinder's method of victory, WWE stray from the tired foreign heel promos we were "treated" to last time he held gold.

3. Where Does Asuka Go From Here?

I gasped when Asuka tapped out to Charlotte's Figure-Eight Leglock. Despite the strong booking Flair has enjoyed since debuting on the main roster, I didn't begin to entertain the possibility that the Empress of Tomorrow would lose her undefeated streak.

The main reason for this was the question we now face: what's next for Asuka? It's a prospect that has totally blindsided me, and I've got no idea what she's going to do next.

Unlike fellow Rumble-winner Nakamura, Asuka handled her defeat with grace and humility - which seems oddly out of character. I wasn't asking for a full-blown Shinsuke heel turn, but I'd have enjoyed a little hunger for vengeance.

Hopefully, the Empress is given an intense feud with an out-and-out heel to keep her momentum going. She's too good to fully lose her way, but the future is decidedly less certain for a now-defeated Asuka.

2. Is The Roman Reigns Experiment Over?

In terms of long-term storytelling, the most baffling result of WrestleMania 34 by far was Brock Lesnar's merciless destruction of Roman Reigns.

The Big Dog may have kicked out of five F5s, but he spent the vast majority of the match taking monstrous amounts of one-sided punishment - culminating in a vicious elbow that split open his forehead, Randy Orton style.

As Reigns bled all over the WrestleMania main event, I couldn't help but feel very confused indeed. Ever since Lesnar broke Undertaker's streak four years ago, he has been built up as the ultimate villain of WWE - and Reigns has been built up as the hero to defeat him.

Even though the crowd hasn't accepted Roman as that hero, it never seemed to make a difference. Having knocked off Triple H and Undertaker in consecutive 'Mania main events, it seemed as though Reigns was going to make it a hat-trick in New Orleans. Instead, against everything that had built to this match, he lost.

Does this mean that WWE have finally accepted the fans' general rejection of Roman? Is their attempt to make Reigns the face of the company truly over? I guess it won't take long to find out...

1. Who Will Beat Brock Lesnar?

In all seriousness, now that Reigns has failed, who on earth is going to take that Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar.

The Beast's next title defence has been announced: he'll face Roman again, this time in a steel cage at the Greatest Royal Rumble. A title change in Saudi Arabia wouldn't surprise me as a business decision, but it's certainly not a foregone conclusion - especially with Lesnar signing a brand new deal

today

(at the time of writing).

Should Reigns lose that match, 

who could possibly beat Brock

? For the sake of speculation, I'll throw out a few potential names:

• Samoa Joe - approached Lesnar a different way to most, seemed like a legitimate threat
• Seth Rollins - slowly becoming one of the hottest things on the roster again
• Braun Strowman - already lost to Lesnar, currently tied up in the tag division
• Finn Balor - would be a huge underdog story, but maybe too farfetched for WWE?

The key thing to note here is that, while there are several 

possible 

conquerors of Lesnar, there are zero 

likely 

ones. If Roman doesn't take that Universal Championship in Jeddah, I'm at a total loss for answers.

10. The Elite Vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Jon Moxley. Bryan Danielson. Kenny Omega. The Young Bucks. Hangman Adam Page. Claudio Castagnoli. These are just some of the all-star names involved in this rivalry between two of the biggest stables in AEW history. And also Wheeler Yuta, whose star power doesn’t quite match up, but he did add his fair share of quality to this rivalry.

What began as the Blackpool Combat Club picking on Page (following the excellent Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page feud) soon turned into a full-on skirmish between the BCC and Hangman’s “friends” in The Elite. “Friends” is in the biggest inverted commas of all time. In a storyline that also encompassed Omega’s feud with Don Callis - this is where Don turned on his charge by screwdrivering him in the head - the two units faced off in three major matches in quick succession.

The first was Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing, which the BCC won after Konosuke Takeshita turned on the Elite. Then came a tag match at Forbidden Door, where the good guys got their win back with the help of Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii. Finally came Blood and Guts, a near hour-long match which The Elite won by beating the toffee out of Wheeler Yuta until Jon Moxley quit to protect the youngest member of the BCC.

9. Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston

The first recorded singles match between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston took place in front of about 250 people in 2011. The next time they went one-on-one, it was on Dynamite in 2020 for Moxley’s World Championship (although their first meeting did have more people in attendance due to the pandemic, but hey-ho).

Upon crossing paths in AEW, Mox and Kingston drew on their real-life friendship to deliver some of the most compelling and naturalistic promos the company had seen up to that point. When Mox beat Kingston on Dynamite, he did so by making him pass out, not tap out, setting the stage for a vicious I Quit rematch in the main event of Full Gear 2020.

The pair would rekindle their friendship after Eddie saved his buddy from being lightly sparkled to death at Revolution 2021, starting a tag team run. When Mox started to get friendly with Claudio Castagnoli, who Kingston was not the biggest fan of shall we say, they were at each other’s throats again, including during the Stadium Stampede match Wembley’s All In.

Despite their programme, the two remained friends while trying to batter each other which all led to Moxley giving Kingston a cheeky kiss on the head after the Mad King defeated him to become AEW Continental Champion at Worlds End 2023.

8. Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin

Fyter Fest 2019 was just the second pay-per-view under the All Elite Wrestling banner, in a time before Dynamite even existed. Cody Rhodes, fresh off an all-time great match with his brother Dustin, was competing against the relatively unknown Darby Allin. By the end of the night, everyone knew his name.

Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes fought to a time-limit draw, as the more experienced Rhodes just couldn’t put his younger, more tenacious opponent away. This would be the start of a unique relationship that would last for pretty much the rest of Rhodes time in the company. Rhodes defeated Allin in their next two encounters, once on the New Year’s Day 2020 edition of Dynamite and then once in the tournament to crown the first TNT Champion.

It was at Full Gear 2020 where this story reached its peak. In a sign of just how far the young daredevil had come, Allin rolled up his mentor to finally defeat The American Nightmare and claim the network-sponsored belt for his own. This was an example of simple storytelling done right.

7. CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston

A great example of quality not quantity in AEW is this rivalry between the volatile pairing of CM Punk and Eddie Kingston, which lasted just a handful of weeks and comprised just 11 minutes of in-ring action.

The build-up to the pair’s match at Full Gear 2021 was incredibly simple. Kingston interrupted a backstage interview with Punk, the two traded some suitably sharp barbs on an episode of Dynamite, then they had their match. As much as everyone loves a slow-cooked, carefully marinated leg of lamb, sometimes you’re just in the mood for a quick and dirty bacon sandwich. That’s exactly what this rivalry was; nothing fancy, but incredibly effective and potentially dangerous to your health.

The fact that this feud is still talked about in hushed tones to this day, despite its lifespan being that of your average housefly, is testament to how good it was. It made Eddie look like a total badass, brought a new dimension to Punk’s return, and, in many ways, set the stage for what was to come with the Chicago native.

6. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa

Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa are still the gold standard when it comes to AEW’s all-female feuds. It was at Beach Break 2021 where these two first locked horns, all leading to their now-legendary Lights Out match in the main event of St. Patrick’s Day Slam.

This was the first time two women had closed out an episode of Dynamite. After one of the best and bloodiest women’s matches North America had seen for some time, it would be a full year before the pair met one-on-one again, this time at Revolution 2022 for Baker’s AEW Women’s World Championship.

Though the dentist successfully retained that night, she was unable to overcome Thunder Rosa in a steel cage rematch, as Rosa snapped her 290-day reign as champion.

Real-life heat between the pair means we might never see this classic rivalry reignited, but considering just how good everything these two did together was, it’s hard to complain.

5. Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega

Though one of them has certainly had a better AEW rivalry than this one, there was no way we could ignore one of the feuds that helped solidify the promotion during its infancy. The closing shot of the first official AEW broadcast, Double or Nothing 2019, was Jon Moxley standing over a fallen Kenny Omega, whom he’d just thrown off a giant stack of poker chips.

This was meant to lead to the pair having a match at All Out, but Mox went down with an injury, delaying their first meeting until Full Gear. Luckily, this resulted in an absolutely barbaric Lights Out match, so people didn’t mind waiting.

Omega and Moxley were then kept apart for over a year until Winter is Coming 2020, where The Cleaner became the first man to pin Mox in AEW when he ended his world title reign. This led to various tag matches, the Exploding Barbed Wire disaster, and much later down the line, the previously discussed BCC vs Elite business, which saw the pair do battle inside a steel cage. A rivalry that has lasted the entire course of AEW, you get the feeling that Moxley and Omega might be destined to do this forever.

4. The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros & The Young Bucks vs. FTR

Yes, we've cheated here.

Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that The Young Bucks have been at the heart of tag team wrestling in AEW. When it came to choosing their best dance partners, it came down to a pair of masked luchadors and two gruff Southerners, and we just couldn’t split them up.

The Lucha Brothers were The Bucks’ first AEW opponents, as they faced off at the original Double or Nothing. Over the next several years, they competed in ladder matches, trios matches, and a steel cage clash that some people would rank amongst the best matches in AEW history.

As for FTR, Dax and Cash were dream opponents for Matt and Nick long before AEW was even a thing. They’ve also put on some of the greatest tag bouts the promotion has ever seen, from their first meeting at Full Gear 2020 to their encounter in Wembley and in a ladder match at Dynasty 2024.

3. Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland

There are no two men in AEW history that perhaps have as much hatred for one another (on-screen at least, behind the scenes they likely don’t come close to scratching the list) as Swerve Strickland and Adam Page. What began as a feud for Swerve Strickland to prove himself and expose Adam Page became a heated feud full of blood-drinking, home invasions, and unhealthy obsessions.

This rivalry may have only begun in 2023, but it is already among AEW’s greatest ever feuds, with the hatred between these two individuals being felt pumping through the veins of any arena they face off in.

It even got to the point where Adam Page, the people’s hero of AEW, would rather not win the AEW World Championship himself if it meant also costing Strickland the title too. That is top tier hating, and even the most ardent of internet trolls should be proud of that.

2. CM Punk vs. MJF

For the many, many, many problems CM Punk caused backstage in AEW, his stuff on TV was always pretty good. His rekindled feud with Samoa Joe? Brilliant. His spat with Eddie Kingston? So good it’s already been on this list. However, when it comes to the very best, there’s only three letters we need to discuss.

The moment Punk first entered MJF’s orbit, fans knew they were going to witness greatness. Two outspoken egomaniacs who were lightning on the microphone and capable of doing hideous things to their enemies were now up against each other. Everything about this storyline ruled. The promos, the real-life history between the two, MJF’s apparent face turn and then further descent into darkness, Wardlow finally getting his chance to shine.

They accomplished so much whilst somehow only sharing the ring three times, only two of which were singles bouts. Cerebral, emotional, dramatic, and violent, CM Punk vs MJF is one of the great wrestling storylines of the 21st Century.

1. Hangman Adam Page vs. Kenny Omega

A storyline that had been bubbling away since the inaugural AEW show, a rivalry that created one of the most cherished babyfaces in modern wrestling history, the main event plot that made AEW the hottest wrestling brand in the world!

Adam Page and Kenny Omega used to be the best of friends, until Page’s distrust of The Young Bucks drove a wedge between them. Once they lost their tag team championships, Omega went evil, which culminated when he defeated his former partner to earn a shot at Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship.

Throughout Omega’s entire reign, the spectre of the Hangman hung over him. The Anxious Millennial Cowboy was slowly rebuilding his confidence thanks to the Dark Order, eventually leading to the biggest main event match in AEW to date - Page versus Omega for the world title at Full Gear 2021, where Page got his storybook ending.