Childs

The last three matches delivered in a big, big way.

This was one of the feel-good matches of the year. El Phantasmo has established himself as a big-time heel over the course of the tournament, and Rocky is such a likable guy who's been on a great little run. Add to that the potential impact on the block standings and the atmosphere in Korakuen, and you had a killer set-up. To their credit, they milked every bit of drama. The finishing stretch, with Rocky's lucha-esque fakeout using the phantom belt shot, was perfect. I was rooting out loud as I watched on my laptop. There's stiff competition for match of the tourney, but this my leader in the clubhouse. Like the Dustin-Cody match, it generated authentic emotion.

Jericho has looked old for at least five years, and I actually like him better now that he's steering into it. The worst version of him was the guy who tried to wrestle fast-paced counter-fu with more athletic guys in WWE. I'm not getting the criticism for the main event. As I said in the immediate aftermath, thought they established a competitive vibe by just drilling each other. They tried to walk the line between delivering a worthy show-closing title match (even though there was no belt on the line) and the first chapter in a longer story. The finish worked well from that standpoint. I'm not the biggest fan of either guy, but they held my interest throughout.

The main event didn't disappoint me. They beat the shit out of each other.

Do they have to end by 11? PPV block says it goes to 4 am.

That fucking ruled. I was on the fence about this show but they've pretty well nailed it to this point.

The most common characterization I've seen is that he mishandled a sexual assault allegation against one of the wrestlers in the promotion he ran. That's a serious thing in its own right, and I agree with your overall point that it's bizarre for the WWE to consider hiring him.

Can we stop saying Elgin was accused of rape? That's a serious thing to say about someone, and it's not accurate. I'm not defending his alleged actions or saying anything positive about him as a performer. But that doesn't mean he should be slandered without basis.

I remember the Rollins cash-in being really divisive. I know I hated it.

I'm not sure I could call it very disappointing given Bryan-Kofi, but there was a lot of meh and some baffling stuff.

It's amazing how infrequently they nail the Mania finish given that they book the entire year toward it. Bryan in New Orleans was the last one, right?

That finish felt off. I liked the match but ...

Not the furniture, Becky.

Would a Charlotte win be the most deflating thing they've ever done to end a Mania?

Lashley's actually bringing something to this.

Why? That sucked.

The crowd gave zero shits.

Ask and ye shall receive.

I wanted him to use the pliers on Batista's nose ring.

No way this show ends by midnight.

No Steph?

Man, that was some weak sauce for a big star making his return from cancer. Totally forgettable.

This match is fine but it's not the right pace for this point on the card.

I'm also glad that he moved past working as a reckless underdog. But this is more the guy he was on the indies, with some added character touches. So to me, he's tapping into what he always did best more than growing into something new. Either way, we agree that it's welcome.

Bummed that Joe and Rey didn't have an actual match.