Topic summary

WrestleMania 34

WrestleMania 34
WrestleMania chronology

WrestleMania 34 was a 2018 professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) and livestreamingevent produced by WWE, held for wrestlers from the promotion's main roster brands, Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live. It was the 34th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the second WrestleMania held at this venue, after WrestleMania XXX in 2014, and the first to include the cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live brand, albeit on the Kickoff pre-show, subsequently being the first to feature wrestlers from three brands since WrestleMania 25 in 2009.

The card comprised 14 matches, including three on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, which was the main match of the Raw brand, Brock Lesnar retained the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. The main match from SmackDown saw AJ Styles retain the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. Other matches saw Ronda Rousey make her WWE debut and Daniel Bryan returned to the ring after nearly three years of absence due to concussions. In a featured match from Raw, Rousey teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match, while in a featured match from SmackDown, Bryan teamed with Shane McMahon to defeat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Also, The Undertaker defeated John Cena in an impromptu match.

Also on the card, Charlotte Flair retained the SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka, ending Asuka's undefeated streak. A 10-year-old named Nicholas (son of referee John Cone) became the youngest champion in WWE history when he teamed with Braun Strowman to defeat Cesaro and Sheamus to win the Raw Tag Team Championship. This was also the first time that the SmackDown Tag Team Championship was defended at a WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 34 received mixed-to-positive reviews from fans and critics, with the world title matches being subjected to more negative responses. The main event between Lesnar and Reigns particularly received heavy criticism and was decried by some as one of the worst main events in WrestleMania history. Despite this, other aspects of the show, such as the return of Daniel Bryan, SmackDown's Intercontinental Championship match, the SmackDown Women's Championship match, and the debut performance of Ronda Rousey, were widely praised.