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NO-one likes going to work on a Monday morning, but NXT North American and tag team champion Adam Cole will have had a spring in his step this week.
Wrestlemania weekend was quite the ride for millions of fans around the world and delivered top class entertainment and a dose of intrigue to boot.
NXT Takeover was another excellent show, with a thrilling ladder match, thankfully executed safely by all the competitors, tipping the curtain.
Adam Cole joined WWE last year with Undisputed Era stablemates Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish and his momentum has continued to build. His double shot on Saturday, augmented by the excellent Roderick Strong’s turn marks the start of his first serious road test.
Everyone shone in the ladder match, including the debuting Ricochet and EC3, the promising Velveteen Dream and the big guns of Lars Sullivan and Killian Dain, which is how it should be.
Aleister Black and Cien Almas were superb, as were Gargano and Ciampa. Ember Moon passed the torch to Shayna Baszler before making her bow on RAW alongside the Authors of Pain and No Way Jose, a deliberate ploy to get the NXT crew over in front of a rabid hardcore crowd.
That all went to plan and although some matches on the Mania card might not have lived up to the hype – AJ Styles and Nakamura in particular did nothing wrong but didn’t seize the day – the key elements worked and WWE Towers will have been a happy place to swipe your card on entry.
Ronda Rousey proved her character and commitment with a seamless first outing, ably supported by vets Triple H and Kurt Angle, but Stephanie McMahon deserves credit for her efforts too.
Ronda’s physical talent was never an issue, but she showed genuDaniel ine star power, the major currency now as her WWE career blossoms.
Charlotte Flair and Asuka however take the cake for stand out women’s performers of the weekend for their intense, compelling match. Flair’s emotion was palpable in the closing stages and added to the drama of the affair.
We had our joyous moment when Bryan energised the crowd as only he can, but it remains to be seen quite what WWE decide to do with all eyes on the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
Now to close, as the show did itself, on Lesnar and Reigns.
It could not be clearer, given Brock’s new short-term deal, that WWE can’t pull the trigger on Roman just yet.
That’s sad for him, but the fans dictate the landscape.
Given Conor McGregor’s antics in New York over in UFC last week, Lesnar has never been in higher demand in both camps.
There will only be one winner in the coming negotiations – Brock himself, although he will be irritated by his reception at Wrestlemania once again.