Pay-Per-View Rewind of: WWE WrestleMania Backlash 16/05/2021 Match 6/Part 6/Conclusion by AverageMansReviews - Spoiler Alarm!

Pay-Per-View Rewind of: WWE WrestleMania Backlash 16/05/2021 Match 6/Part 6/Conclusion by AverageMansReviews - Spoiler Alarm!

Warning: there are flashing effects/colourful effects

Background information: there is this video package of how we got to this point and a scene with Heyman, Reigns and Jey Uso, just before Reigns with Heyman make their entrance where everything doesn’t seem to be okay between these two real-life cousin’s.

Match/Stipulations: “The Swiss Superman” Cesaro vs. the WWE Universal Champion "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns [with his Special Counsel Paul Heyman:] Singles Match for the WWE Universal Championship

Match Attributes:

Match Quality: 10/10

Match Storyline: 7/10

Crowd Participation: 7/10

On Commentary: Raw of; Pat McAfee & Michael Cole 5/10

Satisfying Conclusion: 6/10

Recommend Watch: 8/10

Match Total: 43/60 - this match is good

Comments: I am getting the feeling of déjà vu here; in one way or another it has to be said they really, really took the shine off this match. What with Cesaro being the only one out of these Men's individual main rosters/main event picture Championships not to be given a segment in any capacity to build him up in the slightest, yes individually The Usos [Jimmy or Jey Usos] put across Cesaro is a threat to their real-life cousin's Reigns Championships reign [in the case of Jey he does it accidentally in the background information section] and just to cover my back Lashley's manager MVP does an interview with [Kevin Patrick] so all I'm saying here is Lashley is covered so Cesaro it is very much a case of the WWE hierarchy telling us these two things; 1, he isn't winning so why bother giving him the screen time [I think a very high percentage of us knew Cesaro wasn't winning anyway,] but you know it would have been great if they actually put some effort into not telegraphing that. 2, the fact that the hierarchy of this company see very little value in Cesaro which let's be honest for 90% of his time with the WWE he has been the worst kept secret in all of professional wrestling [I never liked his first gimmick of being basically really intelligent, I know it is a classic model of being a Heel.] But when you have someone which is a fundamentally sound wrestler, they don't need a goofy gimmick be it Babyface or Heel, you just need to give them a solid gimmick and strap a rocket to their back and have them circulate between the mid-card and the main event picture that is it. The commentary is purposefully designed to put over Reigns more; it very much begins from the entrance of Cesaro  which it is the usual stuff from the commentary table going with the tinplate building up  for Cesaro like; we have McAfee saying in Cesaro's entrance the following "His potential has always been there, he's been flying at its highest altitude for the last few weeks. Ever since wrestlemania, the hottest Cesaro we have seen, the biggest night of his life. With Cole responded "Will it pay off in this match?" I refer back to the worst kept secret in all of professional wrestling, Cesaro standards of wrestling and consequently matches doesn't drop he gives you 100% quality every single time; he makes his opponents look better for having a match with him regardless of the booking decision.

and Reigns entrance with Heyman then Cole makes reference to Paul Heyman bringing up this statistic on the previous SmackDown of how many times Reigns has been in World Championship matches; Reigns 39 [40 now] to Cesaro 0 [1 now.] Then we have McAfee really selling Reigns talent [I am just shortening it] calling it "Generational and being dominant in this business as soon as he stepped in it."

I know McAfee has been probably told to say these things but just based on what he has said he does know how the wrestling industry works on its most basic level right? As in booking and all that, apologies if I have shattered kayfabe for you here.

Don't get me wrong I get away why Heyman and Cole made reference to this statistic because it is storyline building 101, but I can't be the only one thinking “Man that was a dumb move to make reference to those statistics." Because it reminds us and shows us how exposed the main event pictures have been for many years or how much Mr McMahon wanted Reigns to be the next guy to carry his company for years to come. I mean to have 40 matches [at the age of 36 when this blog was first dictated;] should tells you everything about the main event pictures and I hasten to add this is nothing against Reigns I am simply talking about the hierarchy of this company and its lack of creative imagination.

Moving on then in short at one point or another we have Cole or McAfee making reference to Reigns wanting to do this on his own, but in fairness and balance at least McAfee acknowledges Heyman is at ringside when he says his first but not the second version.

Now let's say we have McAfee and Cole individually or together building up/putting over Reigns in this match slot and then they do it for Cesaro, but is it me or doesn't McAfee and/or Cole sound like they are just reading a 90% tinplate of things to say about Cesaro.

This is speculation on my part, mixed in with how I hear it and how I see it unfortunately this echoes my earlier sentence about the hierarchy of this company see very little value in Cesaro. Because basically they have/had designed this match slot, so yes Cesaro looks a top-notch class wrestler as he always does, but they really didn't want him to look better for having this match and to back up my opinion; they could have had Cesaro have his moment in the sun, you know as he very much deserves it with basically standing up after some time looking worse for wear, but stands up in the middle of the ring and shows his appreciation to the WWEThunderDome in attendance and slowly walks back to the back; end of this pay-per-view. But no without giving too much away they went with what they went with to send a subliminal message not once but twice of basically Mr McMahon giving us the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin two fingers salute. But I don't think actually everyone knows Mr McMahon doesn't look at the bigger picture and in this case as it relates to Cesaro we have now seen him in the main event match I don't know about everyone else, but it has just confirmed but even more crystal clearly he is a main event player and Champion wherever he is in this company or outside it.

Basic Result:  the WWE Universal Champion "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns [with his Special Counsel Paul Heyman] Retains his WWE Universal Champion

This pay-per-view receives: 4/10, this pay-per-view is mixed; I don't know how anybody can sit through any of the main rosters content after watching this pay-per-view. [I am not trying to take anyone else's enjoyment away from this pay-per-view, if you did get enjoyment from watching this pay-per-view, all the power to you.] I mean the constant selling, advertising [ yes I am not that stupid I know, this is speculation on my part mixed in with an educated guess, but they are probably contractually obligated to do so for that sweet, sweet money or/and building up matches/feuds in fact just to cover my back it would be much, much, much easier and quicker if I was just to say everything but the physical side of the wrestling can go or needs to go [I mean on a quick bit of research I can't give this pay-per-view anything less on its marking, because on a little bit of research 5 out of 6 matches are at minimum positive] in short in the words of Seth Rollins' ring entrance "Burn it down!" And like the Phoenix build the main rosters product up from those ashes.

I mean I am not being a gatekeeper here, but I can really understand why people are pining for the old eras of wrestling; it has very little to do with the wrestling, it has so much more to do with the WWE main rosters product on the whole minus as I have already said the wrestling, this pay-per-view has hardly been a joy to watch And I am just happy to get through it, that is why I am very happy with AEW, they may not get everything right; but at least they try to make things fun.

The highest ranking match on this card based on Attributes that we see would be: "The Queen" Charlotte Flair vs. "The Empress of Tomorrow" Asuka vs. the WWE Raw Women's Champion "The Nightmare" Rhea Ripley: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship with 53/60.

The lowest ranking match on this card based on Attributes that we see would be: The Miz [with John "Drip Drip" Morrison] vs. "The Archer of Infamy" Damian Priest: Lumberjack Match with 20/60.