SPIDERMAN HOMECOMING

My Thoughts

Spiderman Homecoming is officially in the books after a long and anticipated wait of finally having what was once (and still is to me) Marvel's flagship superhero and pretty much the face of Marvel; Spiderman being returned home to Marvel Studios on the movie front (well actually shared with Sony, because like, they just can't let him go)

Having watched it last Saturday, I'm gonna give you my two cents on how I felt about the movie, things I liked, things I didn't like etc, this is pretty much gonna be a rundown of sorts not a traditional detailed review.

Back when the Spiderman movie franchise was announced to be shifting over to Marvel through a joint venture with Sony back at the tail end of 2014 after the abysmal all over the place train-wreck that was The Amazing Spiderman 2, it was pretty much safe to say that Spiderman/Marvel fans all over the globe breathed a huge sigh of relief and expressed barrage of joy, as the handcuffs of mediocrity that Sony had Spiderman locked in was finally lifted, Spiderman was finally coming over to the promise land the Marvel Cinematic Universe which was just crying out for Spiderman after it's big success.

The Amazing Spiderman 2 was truly a underwhelming and bloated entry in the Spiderman film franchise, even though it could be argued that Andrew Garfield was great when he was in the Spidey suit.

Fast forward to 2015 and we had the announcement of who would be taking up the Spiderman mantle on the big screen going forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; none other than a young upcoming Tom Holland.

Captain America Civil War would be a movie that would test the waters with what we could expect from the new Marvel Cinematic Universe Spiderman going forward and boy did Tom Holland knock it out of the park, his take on both Peter Parker and Spiderman were both proven to be hugely successful and well received, and I for one felt that it was a big breath of fresh air and for the first time in a very long time since Sam Raimi's Spiderman 2 did I actually feel like I was watching Spiderman from the Comics really come to life on screen.

We all breathed a sigh of relief when the Spiderman film franchise was announced to come home to Marvel, which would see Tom Holland cast and go on to put on a highly praised performance in Captain America Civil War

Let's forward to Spiderman Homecoming now and the things I liked:

What I really adored about this movie was the whole dynamic of Peter Parker balancing the everyday obstacles of School life with being Spiderman and saving New York, which is pretty much what the comics that everyone knows and loves were built on, this dynamic in the movie really felt just like real life, what any 15 year old teenager would be going through and that is what makes the foundation of Tom Holland's Peter Parker so relatable to the audience (especially teens)

Also add in the fact that we have such a diverse casting of actors in Peter Parker's school, the real life factor is at an all time high as in previous Spiderman films we had a Predominantly Caucasian casting, which is something that isn't very real world, the reality is school's have a huge diversity of ethnic backgrounds, the cherry on top here is that all of the characters play their part extremely well and bounce off of Peter Parker very well too, the chemistry and dynamics here are well on point.

A Relatable and Diverse setting: Spiderman Homecoming producers really knocked the casting for this movie out of the park, Peter Parker's life feels very real and relatable to fans and viewers

Peter Parker's best friend Ned Leeds, portrayed by upcoming Phillipino actor Jacob Balaton is the perfect yang to Peter Parker's ying in this movie as his deadpan moments of comedy really compliment Peter Parker's charm and wit.

The Deadpan Sidekick: Peter Parker/Spiderman's 'Guy In The Chair' Ned Leeds was a great touch in this movie and I felt his somewhat dimwitted character had excellent chemistry with Peter, they bounced off perfectly with one another in every scene they featured in

Michael Keaton as the Vulture is just a masterstroke of casting in this movie as in my opinion he could well be close to being the best villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, the way in which his character is gentle but yet brooding really had me glued whenever he appeared on the screen and the fact that he wasn't just another run of the mill Marvel villain plotting to 'Blow up the world' with some kind of laser beam (sigh) was great to see, he was pretty much a everyday street level guy that you could sympathise with in some cases.

Michael Keaton (above) bought a great layered performance as a street level down to earth villain as The Vulture 

The scene in particular that I absolutely loved and is perhaps my favourite scene in the movie that put Michael Keaton's Vulture on the top of my MCU villain list is the scene after the whole shock twist reveal that Adrian Toomes/The Vulture is actually the father of Peter Parker's love interest Liz Allan where Toomes/The Vulture gives both Liz and Peter a ride to the high school prom and asks Liz to go along into the prom while he and Peter have a man to man chat, the suspense that was building all the way from Peter's visit to the Toomes household in the car to the prom where Toomes/The Vulture is slowly piecing together that Peter is actually Spiderman is perfectly blown off here as Toomes turns around to Parker with passive aggressive menacing expression on his face, telling Peter that he knows who he truly is and if he get's in the way of his plan to feed his family he will kill him and everyone he loves, this scene then triggers off a big sense of urgency and danger that felt very real to me when watching it and it was a nice surprising change of tone in an other wise lighthearted comedic movie.

In what is my favourite scene in the entire movie, the light hearted fast paced comedic tone suddenly gets serious and silent with big sense of danger as Adrian Toomes (above) figures out Spiderman's identity, I feel this scene is sure to go down as an iconic superhero movie scene as time goes on, it really is that good!

The pacing of the movie is incredibly done and did not bog me down with any scenes that dragged, as a matter of fact I don't think there was one boring scene in the entire film. The story is very simple and it works, 8 years after the Battle Of New York in the Avengers movie, Adrian Toomes and his salvage company are contracted to clean up the aftermath of the event in the city, however, Tony Stark's Damage Control department take over the assignment driving Adrian Toomes out of business, this in turn causes Toomes to move to an agenda along with his crew which includes another famous Spiderman foe The Shocker of keeping the Chitauri technology salvaged from wreckages to create and sell advanced weapons, Spiderman discovers this and makes it his simple mo to stop Vulture causing chaos.

The interesting aspect of Adrian Toome's crew was the inclusion of a very familiar Spiderman foe, The Shocker which despite having a interesting take on the character I felt that their needed to be more of a development for him, I felt that he could of done a little bit more in the movie as a nemesis for Spiderman, but I do hope that we see him get expanded in future films

The action set pieces in this film were very well put together and did a very good job of showing a  very young spiderman that hasn't quite grasped his powers yet which made him feel vunerable at times and there were definatley times where I felt Spiderman was going to be in real trouble especially when he went up against Vulture.

Due to being a very young and un-seasoned Spiderman, it truly felt like he was in trouble when going up against the bad guys in this movie which was a good thrill

Now let's get to the stuff that I particularly didn't like about what is otherwise a excellent superhero movie:

Something that did bug me in this film was Spiderman's over reliance on Stark Tech, to me this Spiderman did not feel like a traditional Spiderman who uses his natural instincts to survive, and yes I know that this is a very young Spiderman who hasn't grasped his abilities yet, but I just couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed by a super-teched up Spiderman who even has a built in Siri system called Karen, it felt like Spiderman was just another Iron Man, I really do hope that in future films, Peter distances himself from the use of technology and finds his inner natural abilities.

Too Much Tech: It was weird seeing Spiderman equipped with so much technology in the film (above), he was pretty much Iron Man in a Spiderman costume and it did feel a bit annoying as I didn't get the feel of a traditional Spiderman

One gripe I did have about one of the Spiderman vs Vulture fights was the moment where The Vulture dropped concrete flooring on top of Spiderman and we then had a scene where Peter was willing himself up using his strength to lift the pile of rubble off of himself, instead of having the voice of Tony Stark willing him on, this would of been a fitting moment to throw in a bit of Uncle Ben by having his voice quote some kind of inspirational phrase, Don't get me wrong, i'm delighted they chose to move away from the much milked Uncle Ben story in this Spiderman film, but I thought they didn't need to do away with him entirely, just a nice little voice from him in Peter's head would of made for a great 'rising up' scene.

I felt like scenes similar to the one above featuring a beaten down Spiderman/Peter Parker could of used a nice little 'voice of courage' from Uncle Ben as a light nod to the absent character

Zendaya's Character in the movie 'Michelle' was one that I did not quite take to too much despite having some moments that made me chuckle, but that's not what annoyed me about her, it was the clever quip that was thrown in at the end where she was referred to as 'MJ' which she claimed her friends call her, and yes MJ is an allusion to Mary Jane Watson, I feel that this was quite unnecessary and it seemed to go over viewer's heads in the cinema, what the producers here seem to be doing with the Michelle character going forward is potentially setting her up to take characteristics of Mary Jane Watson and set her up to be the main love interest of Peter in upcoming movies (the seeds are planted with her saying that she's very observant of Peter),which is something I just can't picture in my head right now as I can't see the way in which this character is portrayed, filling in that Mary Jane role for the MCU. But we shall wait and see about that.

In a nod to an iconic love interest of Peter Parker, Michelle's character reveals that she is called 'MJ' by friends, which was a weird twist by the producers and I don't quite know how I feel about it, it is pretty obvious however that she is going to end up being the main love interest of Peter Parker in future movies, maybe what feels weird now will make sense in the sequel which is years away, as our High School characters will be more grown up and feel different by then

  

One last gripe that I also had with the movie was there seemed to be no chemistry between Peter and his love interest Liz, there didn't seem to be much of a build up to them getting together, and when they came together on screen and interacted with each other, they looked really out of place with each other (and no it has nothing to do with ethnicity)

There just didn't seem to be much in the way of chemistry between Liz and Peter (above) for me in this movie and there was really no real build between them

Overall Spiderman Homecoming is a blast of a super hero movie that is a no nonsense barrage of fun, and a complete breath of fresh air for a movie franchise that has been ill fated for the past decade.

Spiderman is back. And he truly feels like he's back home in the MCU, hence the fitting movie title.


Feel free to leave your comments on how you felt about Spiderman Homecoming.



- Simeon Barrett

Is Arms The Next Big Nintendo Franchise?

Nintendo are on a super duper role right now, and being a huge Nintendo fan myself, this is very good to see.

I've predicted that with the Switch, Nintendo have the potential to enter yet another golden era, mirroring that of the SNES days and with the very surprisingly superb ARMS Nintendo Direct reveal back on the 16th of May, I feel that Nintendo are on the cusp of really understanding what their loyal fanbase wants.

When ARMS was first announced way back at the big Nintendo Switch press conference in January many people looked at ARMS and thought "Here we go again, a cheap gimmicky game aimed at making a quick buck for casuals" pretty much in the vein of Wii Sports, ARMS seemed to be game that should of been a pack-in title for the Switch, not a full retail priced game.

But boy did Nintendo literally (pun intended) flip the Switch on what everyone was expecting from ARMS.

We got a tidal wave of new Character announcements, features, battle modes and a overwhelmingly exciting online structure  for the game, which pretty much sealed the deal for my interest and many others judging by the overwhelmingly positive reactions online, in buying this game.

Nintendo have done an amazing job at selling people the character roster with it's in depth analysis of each character which went into some detail about their individual backgrounds, character traits and the different ARMS they can use at their disposal to adapt to different play styles also the ability to customize each fighter's ARM configurations before battle opens this game up to a wide range of attack styles and combinations which in itself makes this game deeper than anyone thought.

Right off the bat, ARMS seems to have a deep customizable fighting mechanic which opens up a load of match-up possibilities between fighters in the game

Each individual character seems to be very likeable and most importantly unique, which could well see the start of another batch of popular Nintendo mascots following the success of the Inklings and their respective series Splatoon.

Nintendo have introduced some great appealing characters for the ARMS franchise such as Ribbon Girl & Min Min

Newly announced character Twintelle in particular has become a super fan favourite over night since the Nintendo Direct and has become a Internet Meme (for reasons you may notice in the above right image)

For anyone that though this game would just be a "pick up for a casual half and hour and put down" game in terms of gameplay have pretty much been proven wrong, with modes like team fight which can lead to hours of fun and mayhem between 4 players, V-Ball & Hoops mode which puts an interesting twist on the game where V-Ball games involve a volleyball explosive that must be kept on your opponents side of the net at all costs which I can see being extremely addictive, whereas Hoops games involve sending each other through the net.

Bored or just wanna break from the fighting mayhem? Well, ARMS can happily accommodate with something fresh and different with it's V-Ball & Hoops mode, Ensuring playtime won't ever get stale!

The real gem and selling point of this game however is the exciting online modes where lobbies can support up to a staggering 20 players at a time, which is sure to create some truly fun and chaotic (in a good way) moments for players, there are also ranked matches  that are only available for one on one online bouts which adds a much needed competitive aspect to a game like this which will ensure this game has a lot of longevity and who knows, may even become a popular E-Sports title down the line!

Online Mayhem: ARMS boasts pretty much the most impressive online infrastructure seen in a Nintendo Switch game so far, and it's sure to be a hit and raise the bar for Nintendo's upcoming online services

Also with positive reactions to the ARMS global test punch over the weekend, which are due to return on June 2nd, I am pretty much backing ARMS to set the trend for many great Nintendo IP's to come for the Switch, the model that Nintendo has set out for ARMS is genius, because by letting people try the game and get familiar with it's mechanics early before it's big launch they are already selling people on the game which does a LOT more than trying to market the game on hear say ever will and I hope we see this in every other IP that Nintendo put out for the Switch in the future as Nintendo will build great consumer trust in a generation where we have been dissapointed by big AAA games from other companies on the whim of hear say, and I truly believe consumer trust is the one ingredient that has been missing from Nintendo to truly make them the greatest video game company in the world


I'm backing ARMS to be the game that sets the bar and leads the bar for the much needed beefed up online Infrastructure that Nintendo needs to compete on the level of the Playstation and XBox (which we will hopefully see at E3!)


ARMS will launch worldwide on June 16th and Nintendo have already got my money for this game, just when you think you know the cards Nintendo are going to play, you don't, and I hope Nintendo continue to surprise us like this going forward.


Feel free to leave your comments and opinions on what you think about ARMS.



-Simeon Barrett

Should We Be Excited About Nintendo's Future?

I will be the first to tell you how much of a Nintendo fan I am if the topic of video games ever comes up in a conversation, despite the past 7 years seeing the Nintendo brand has become more and more irrelevant in the console and social market.

And as a big Nintendo fan it has hurt very much for a long time.

You can pretty much point to a number of consoles on the Nintendo catalogue (aside from the Wii) where we have seen Nintendo slowly slip away from the powerhouse company they once were.

The N64 arguably was a very successful and relevant console despite being trumped by the PS1 which would sell an all time sales record of 102 million units. The N64 was the home of some all time classic games beloved by many such as Goldenye, Mario 64, Super Smash Bros and what stands as the highest reviewed and greatest game of all time The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time. I also feel that the N64 pioneered the ever popular First Person Shooter genre well into what it has become today with It's control scheme along with games like Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, which is something Nintendo does not really get credit for.

The Nintendo 64 despite being trounced by the Sony Playstation in sales was arguably very successful with leaving a legacy of being a very beloved console that offered some of the most critically acclaimed and revolutionary games of all time

In the Gamecube's case the move from the not so developer friendly cartridge to the another not so developer friendly mini disc was something that hampered and annoyed some third party developers from putting extremely popular franchises like Grand Theft Auto onto the system despite the Gamecube being a graphical powerhouse (I for one feel it was more capable than the XBox with games like Metroid Prime pulling off visuals that I just had not seen on any other console in the sixth generation) this was due to developers having to compress data to fit the mini discs unlike the simple job of just putting the game on a XBox or PS2 disc, this would hurt the Gamecube around mid 2003 to 2004 where some third party developers behind some of the very popular multiplat franchises aimed at the more mature audiences, abandoned development for the system, which left the Gamecube with the stigma of being 'kiddie' as it would rely mainly on it's 'kid friendly' franchises during that time.

The Gamecube was a console I absolutely LOVED back in the day and was a technical powerhouse offering the perfect mixture of revolutionary games and power, which to this day it doesn't quite get credit for

The Wii is not included in this conversation however, because it was a console that put Nintendo back on the map and being the talk of literally every audience imaginable, 5 year olds all the way to 70+ year olds and people who never picked up a video game controller knew what the Wii was and enjoyed what the Wii was, although the argument can be made that the Wii was a extremely popular fad that was a strike of luck by Nintendo at the time, as there wasn't much love for the system by the majority of hardcore gamers who owned the 360 and PS3. The Wii selling at 102 million all time sales looked like it was putting Nintendo back to relevancy going forward.

The Wii U was supposed to be the console that built upon the Wii's success, attracted the hardcore crowd that didn't welcome the Wii with open arms while keeping Nintendo's brand relevant with the transition to HD graphics and the 'promise' of big third party games.

But a botched launch which put emphasis on the Wii U Gamepad as a 'new controller' which fooled people into thinking it was a add-on for the previous Wii console which steam had died off pretty much by 2011 pretty much set the table for a miserable console run for the Wii U despite it being a superb console with top quality games and experiences you just won't find on a Sony or Microsoft platform (the Wii U is still very much a beloved console for me).

The Wii U is pretty much the console that buried Nintendo's relevancy in the console market nearly six feet under and I feel that it is a combination of things that the really exposed Nintendo really running out of fuel, not knowing what to really do to capitalise on the Wii's success and certain Nintendo staff veterans becoming very much out of touch with what the console market is all about and what fans really want from Nintendo.

The Wii U has been a console that I have absolutely adored in all the years of owning it, despite it being the shunned kid at school. It was a system with all the potential in the world but Nintendo just simply did not know what to do with it leading to games that would be right at home on the console never showing up much to the disappointment of Nintendo fans

And there was no better example of this at Nintendo's very disappointing E3 of 2015 (yes i'm going back there) which was pretty much the sum up of how much Nintendo had fallen with the Wii U as it was supposed to be an event where Nintendo would go 'all out' to try and give the Wii U brand some dignity and get console units in the homes by giving fans a last great blow out of games for the system; a new Metroid, a HD remake of Super Mario Sunshine, a proper Animal Crossing game that would take advantage of the unique Wii U gamepad for it's unique community world simulation gameplay or even a new F-Zero. 

But (Apart from a new Starfox game) Nintendo didn't deliver ANY of that, instead they would announce entries for Metroid and Animal Crossing which came in the form of very mediocre spin-offs Metroid Prime Federation Force for the 3DS and Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival for the Wii U which really left a sour taste in many fans mouths.

Games like Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival (left and Metroid Prime Federation Force (right) were most definite signs that Nintendo were at a indefinite crossroads of not being in touch with the current gaming climate and what their fans really wanted

And so the table was set for the rest of the Wii U's life from 2015 to the present year with just 14 Million Units sold.

Fast forward to the present day; and Nintendo's new console the Switch looks very promising, it's console/handheld hybrid idea is ingenious and it has got people reacting positively through it's sales with 1.5 units sold already in it's first week but most importantly it has got people talking about Nintendo again.

Also add in the fact that it has launched with what is perhaps the greatest game of this generation (or ever made) the super addictive Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild, it looks as if Nintendo may have turned a corner for the better.

Which prompts the question; Should We Be Excited About Nintendo's future?

When I play Zelda Breath Of The Wild, I can't help but feel that Nintendo are most definitely in the midst of a new golden era much like the days of the SNES, It's a game that feels like a complete move away from the Nintendo of the post N64 era, it's a game that has taken a chance on evolving a much loved franchise by changing the usual conventions of the series that were very much tired by Zelda Twilight Princess, which was trying very hard to be a modern day Ocarina Of Time.

And the 'taking chances' factor is something that has really gone over Nintendo's head in the past few generations and I don't mean the taking chances that ruin something in a negative way like a Metroid Prime Federation Force or a Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival, I'm talking about the chances that adds by subtracting a run of the mill formula but still let's you know that this is still the franchise you know and love.

Zelda Breath Of The Wild is a beautiful masterpiece that shows what Nintendo are all about when they put their mind to something and it could well be a game that has begun a new golden era for Nintendo

Zelda Breath Of The Wild is the symbol of this and it's the blueprint that Nintendo should follow going forward for the foreseeable future.

I for one have always thought that some of the 'old guard' at Nintendo like Shigueru Miyamoto should step down from production duties to let young talent who are in tune with what the gaming climate is all about in this generation, and handle the reigns going forward too, and they have done that, with the reports that the Switch was produced by a fresh younger pool of engineers and designers and it really does show looking at the sleek and more sophisticated design of the Switch compared to consoles of the past.

Sleek & Sophisticated: The Nintendo Switch's design looks very mature and grown up compared to it's older relative consoles

Another game that seems to be signalling a generation of evolution and promise for Nintendo is the upcoming Super Mario Odessey which pretty much seems to be the game that fans have been begging for, for what seems like an eternity since Super Mario 64. Don't get me wrong though, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 & the much playing it safe Super Mario 3D Land were all stellar titles in their own right, but myself along with many other fans feel that these games were not exactly the kind of adventure experience we wanted from a Mario game.

The Mario We Deserved But Not The Mario We Wanted: The Mario Series has had some great  all time critical acclaimed entries but these games have not really been THAT Mario 64 follow up we expected

Super Mario Odessey however, looks to be that grand sandbox adventure that fans have dreamed about

With E3 coming up and a rumoured big showing planned hot on the heels of a great recent Nintendo direct that got straight to the point of what titles the fans can expect to keep them busy on their Switches this summer, it is the perfect time for Nintendo to hit the park running with a stellar showing at the event and show people why they are the best at what they do in the gaming industry and that is delivering  top quality gaming experiences and moments like no other company.

There have been rumblings of a reveal for the long awaited follow up to Beyond Good & Evil, A new IP being developed by Retro Studios, the possibility of a Dark Souls collection of all games in the series landing on the Switch and the possibility of a open world Pokemon game follow up to Sun & Moon on the 3DS, which will just print money for Nintendo if revealed.

Beyond Good & Evil 2 could possibly be the game that shows Nintendo is serious about snapping up third party exclusives and building/mending serious relationships with third parties again

But what I feel Nintendo really need to do to really solidify their brand relevance again apart from third party support, is to show the long time and old school Nintendo fans that have lost faith in the company over the years, is to make the effort to show that their much lost and disrespected franchises are not long dead and will be back with a new lease of gameplay that much like the Zelda Breath Of The Wild blueprint, evolves the game for the better.

Franchises like Metroid, F-Zero, Earthbound, Starfox (a true evolution of the series), Wave Race, The 1080 Series, Excitebike are all much loved properties of Nintendo that have disappeared off the face of the earth in recent times, with Nintendo not seeming to care to try and continue these IP's with new fresh entries that would be right at home on the Switch with inspiration  taken from what Breath Of The Wild has done. 

For example, just imagine a Open World Earthbound game with 3D disney pixar-esque visuals similar to the Mario Kart 8 engine with clever witty writing, an engaging story and great battle mechanics, Imagine a new stunning F-Zero game which would build on what Fast RMX is doing for the futuristic racing genre with 30 player online races & local multiplayer all at a smooth 60 FPS or a brand new entry in the Metroid Prime Series which evolves the series by incorporating space battles inside Samus's fully interactive spaceship (something hinted at in Metroid Prime 3) and a online competitive multiplayer mode to rival the likes of Halo, Call Of Duty, Destiny etc would be an absolute dream right?  Well I believe Nintendo have the power to make this a reality and if they do this or even hint that this is coming, I really feel we would be on the way to a new Nintendo golden era not seen since the days of the SNES.

The Lost Franchises: Despite getting hints and nods to much loved and long lost franchises like Metroid, F-Zero, Excitebike and Earthbound to name some, Nintendo just have not put any love or care into to continuing and evolving them which could easily fill droughts and voids seen in previous console generations like the Wii U

Nintendo so far are doing everything right with the Switch, if they simply give the fans what they want in terms of top notch software then Nintendo are officially back in the game and knocking on Sony's door again.

Let's hope Nintendo have learned from the mistakes and sins of the past and become truly great again.

If Nintendo deliver at E3, it is most likely time to be very excited about Nintendo's future.


Feel free to leave comments and opinions on how you feel about all of this.


-Simeon Barrett

Blogtrest Wrestling Talk: WWE Wrestlemania 33

My Wrestlemania 33 

Predictions

It's that special time of year in the Pro Wrestling Industry again where WWE's 'Superbowl' takes centre stage and suddenly everyone is talking about wrestling again.

I'll be the first to admit that I have not been a avid follower and watcher of the WWE product as of late as it seems that year after year the WWE just continue to rest on their laurels when it comes to storylines and character development and also continue to force un-welcomed 'top babyface' characters on viewers and fans (which i'll get to a bit later) which as a whole is affecting the product and the potential of what WWE could truly be giving the fans on a weekly basis.

Also the 3 Hour Raw format is just not appealing on a Monday night for the past four years!

Now, Don't get me wrong, there is a part of me that is really excited for the event that WWE could POTENTIALLY put on at Wrestlemania 33, as looking at the card there are some really stellar matches (on paper) that could put this Wrestlemania on par with Wrestlemania 31 which was the best Mania that WWE put on in a very VERY long time. 

But WWE actually putting on a exciting and fulfilling Wrestlemania 33 is another thing... 

I'm now gonna run down the main feuds going into this Sunday's 'Grandaddy Of The All'.

I'm now going to run down the match card and give my take on how I feel this event will unfold this Sunday night:

Cruiserweight Championship Match: 

Neville (c) vs Austin Aries

Can Austin Aries (right) dethrone the self proclaimed King Of The Cruiserweights Neville (left)?

I'm expecting this match to be a very thrilling 'roller coaster' type opener on the Wrestlemania 33 Pre Show, as we have a very refreshing Heel Cruiserweight Champion in Neville who has done the best work of his WWE career since the company finally decided that his babyface character was going absolutely no where, which is something I wish WWE would do more often to the stagnant babyface wrestlers on their roster.

Neville's change in character has proven that if more risks are taken with superstars that have gotten stale on the roster, it will fair much better for the entertainment value of the product as a whole, and it only takes a slight tweak to make a character revitalised and great.

There will be a LOT of near falls in this one and I expect Neville and Aries to have a load of chemistry in the ring, I also feel that this will be a match of reversal maneuvers and 'copycat' moves being performed by both opponents in this match that I feel will tie in with the match finish.

I do also feel that Neville will need a win here at Wrestlemania to really solidify his great 'King Of The Cruiserweights' character.

What Will Happen: Neville will retain the Cruiserweight Championship after Austin Aries fails an attempted Red Arrow.

What I Want To Happen: Same As Above.

Triple Threat WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match:

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs Sheamus & Cesaro & Enzo & Big Cass

Which team will solidify themselves as the team to beat in the Raw Tag Team Division?

WWE has been doing it's best to make tag team wrestling great and relevant again ever since splitting the Raw & Smackdown brands, but there still seems to be something missing as these divisions are just not as hot as they used to be and we still don't really get tag team storylines surrounding the belts going into big PPV's like Wrestlemania.

I for one feel that the Raw Tag Team Division is inferior to the Smackdown brand as the teams we have in it just feel very bland, Enzo & Cass despite being a tag team with a ton of potential to take the  tag division on Raw to another level, have really fizzled out in the past two months. Sheamus & Cesaro despite being a very random put together pair have had some interesting moments, but they too just seem very stagnant as a pair. And last but not least we have the current tag team champions Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson who have been a victim of terrible booking for months and months now and it's down to two things; the fact that they couldn't beat previous Raw tag champs The New Day, in in three tag title matches (which included a triple threat match!) and the way in which their characters have been booked completely wrong, they should be booked as a pair of 'bad-asses' who just simply kick ass and take names, that's it, which is what WWE looked to be doing with them when they entered an angle with the departing Dudley Boyz a while back, but somewhere down the line that path fizzled into the run of the mill goofy and off track booking that WWE constantly run to these days.

As for the match, i expect this to be a very entertaining match as all three teams have the dynamics and skill sets to put on a tag team triple threat masterclass in the ring, however I'm not expecting this to be fast paced, i'm expecting it to be thrill paced.

I do feel that if WWE really want to pull the trigger on Enzo & Cass as the team to put excitement into and be the face of the tag team division on Raw going forward, there is no better place to start than at Wrestlemania 33 by putting the belts on them.

What Will Happen: Enzo & Cass will become the new Raw Tag Team Champions.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

2017 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Who will walk away with major spoils going into the rest of 2017?

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is not a match I look forward to at all on the Wrestlemania card, because ever since Wrestlemania 30 and the terrible handling of it's winner Cesaro, I have totally soured on the idea of this match, and it's a big shame because it should be a special attraction that is a reason to tune into Wrestlemania every year now, last year's winner Baron Corbin has had an okay run in the WWE since winning the battle royal last year, but i still feel WWE should of done so much more (much like Cesaro's case) to make Baron Corbin feel special for winning a monumental match.

This year I have a pretty much solid theory on who is most definitely going to win this one. And I feel WWE will truly make this returning superstar feel special going back into the hunt for one of WWE's Heavyweight championships.

What Will Happen: A returning Finn Balor will win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

Intercontinental Championship Match: 

Dean Ambrose Vs Baron Corbin

Will The Lone Wolf Baron Corbin (right) deliver on his promise to hurt Dean Ambrose(left) and take away his Intercontinental Championship?

One thing that I can soundly praise WWE for is the handling of storylines and characters over on the blue brand Smackdown and this feud right here is a shining example of how WWE can deliver good feuds when they want to even if it's over a midcard championship which is something that has been missing from WWE for a very long time.

For once we have two guys who you can feel really hate each other, Dean Ambrose will do whatever it takes to hold onto his Intercontinental Championship, where as Baron Corbin just wants to make Dean Ambrose suffer by hurting him and taking away his Intercontinental Championship, it's simple effective booking that has worked because of Baron Corbin's great work as a heel especially on the microphone because Baron Corbin does not feel scripted when he talks, it actually feels like we are seeing a real extension of his personality; 'a cool, calm & collected guy who has a jerky side and is in business for himself'.

I'm really hoping this match will be live up to what it could be, and be a thrilling smash mouthed affair.

What Will Happen: Baron Corbin will will win the  WWE Intercontinental Championship.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

Mixed Tag Team Match:

John Cena & Nikki Bella vs The Miz & Maryse

Who will emerge as the true 'It couple'?

I'm still very surprised that this match is actually happening at Wrestlemania ever since the rumours were running around on the web. But credit very much goes to The Miz for providing some excellent segments to really make this feud work.

Despite some very entertaining segments going into it, (Total Bellas Bulls**** was absolutely hilarious!) I can't really say that i'm looking forward to this match as John Cena & The Miz just don't have chemistry in the ring with each other at all, this match is very likely to bring back shades of their very disappointing Wrestlemania 27 match which was a very slow and dull affair.

But because of the added mixed tag team dynamic this match will most likely be a slight improvement on John Cena vs The Miz matches of the past.

I also feel that this match has been set up for one purpose and that is a marriage proposal at the end of the match for my predicted victors.

What Will Happen: John Cena & Nikki Bella will defeat The Miz & Maryse followed by a in ring marriage proposal from John Cena to Nikki Bella.

What I Want To Happen: The Miz & Maryse sneak a win from John Cena & Nikki Bella to continue the feud.

United States Championship Match:

Chris Jericho (c) vs Kevin Owens

Best Friends Turned Bitter Enemies; Will Kevin Owens (right) put down his former best friend for good and win the United States Championship?

This is another midcard title feud that I'm looking forward to on the card, as we have not seen a straight up Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho match before.

This is very much a fresh match up that is most definitely Wrestlemania worthy, I'm expecting this one to be a big battle that will see both Jericho and Owens pull out every trick and technique in the book, as this could well be the last match we see Chris Jericho in before he goes back on his annual WWE break.

I can see both of these guys wanting to go out there and steal the show also in honour of Chris Jericho taking a hiatus.

What Will Happen: Kevin Owens will defeat Chris Jericho to become the new WWE United States Champion.

What I Want To Happen: Chris Jericho retains the WWE United States Championship.

Singles Match:

Shane McMahon vs AJ Styles

Who will emerge victorious in what will be a very bitter fight?

If there is ever potential for a show stealer, this is the match that could do it on the night.

Despite the disappointment of some fans for this match taking place over a rumour turned confirmed Shawn Michaels vs AJ Styles match, which we were going to get but Shawn Michaels turned down (he really is honouring his retirement!) this is going to be a match that we will be talking about coming out of this PPV.

I feel that this match will have shades of Shane McMahon vs Kurt Angle at King of The Ring 2001. If there is anyone that can get the best match out of Shane McMahon in the current WWE climate it's AJ Styles.

This match will be the perfect combination of dare-devilness, technical and high flying in-ring action.

I also feel that this will be the match that puts AJ Styles right back on track to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship as I feel there is a babyface run coming for him round the corner judging by the reactions he is getting from the fans as of late.

What Will Happen: AJ Styles will defeat Shane McMahon.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

WWE RAW Women's Championship Match:

Bayley(c) vs Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax

Can Bayley overcome the odds and leave her  first Wrestlemania as the WWE Raw Women's Champion?

I don't quite know how to feel about this upcoming WWE Raw Women's Championship match as the dynamics going into this one have felt quite weird.

We have had slight teases of a Sasha Banks heel turn (which I feel will eventually come down the line), Charlotte Flair's WWE Women's title reign ending on a episode of Raw (yet again) to Bayley while also dropping her protege Dana Brooke and we've also had Nia Jax emerge into the mix as well despite her run in the company being very lukewarm as of of late as she is not getting a reaction from the crowd, which makes the idea of even thinking to put the Women's championship on her a bad one.

However I expect Nia Jax to really savour the moment of her first Wrestlemania and put on a dominant performance here.

As for Bayley i'm not quite sure if her run as Womens Champion has been a successful one so far, but I ultimately think the title needs to stay on her for now to facilitate a Sasha Banks heel turn and feud down the road.

What Will Happen: Bayley will retain the WWE Raw Women's Championship.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

WWE Championship Match:

Bray Wyatt(c) vs Randy Orton

Will Bray Wyatt (left) teach The Viper Randy Orton (right) a lesson and walk out of Wrestlemania as champion? Or will The Viper strike and take away the Prize?

Here is a Wrestlemania match that still sounds weird as a billed 'main event' for the WWE Championship ever since rumours announced it back in February.

And the rivalry has pretty much lived up to it's weird sounding nature as it has fallen pretty flat for what it has tried to achieve going into this event.

The whole Babyface Randy Orton 'pledging allegiance' to the Heel master Bray Wyatt should of been the epic feud for the Smackdown brand these past months but it has fallen by the wayside by what looks like rushed booking and a lack of creativity somewhere along the way.

I do hope that this match surprises me by being great, because Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt both have the tools to put on a very compelling match which tells a great story in the ring but I somehow think that this could be the disappointment of the night.

What Will Happen: Bray Wyatt will retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

Non-Sanctioned Match:
Seth Rollins vs Triple H

Will the Protege Seth Rollins (left) teach his once mentor a lesson in payback? Or will The Game (right) show why he is 'that damn good'?

This is a match that we should of got back at Wrestlemania 32 instead of the blandness that was Roman Reigns vs Triple H in the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

But after what seems like an eternity, we are finally gonna get it. I feel that this match is going to be a epic long thrill ride between two similar characters and styles, it's gonna be very interesting to see Pedigree vs Pedigree and the possibility of Triple H being hit with his own signature move by the very man he passed it down to.

They dynamic that makes me very excited about this one though is the match stipulation of No Holds Barred and the 'injured' knee of Seth Rollins setting the stage for some high drama in this one, which is most definitely the way to go for this match, as Triple H's in-ring ability has slowed down majorly over the years with his very less than stellar match with Roman Reigns at last year's mania being a prime example.

Don't be surprised to see a run in from Triple H's hired goon Samoa Joe in this one too.

This match is sure to be light years ahead of that match though. 



What Will Happen: Seth Rollins will overcome the odds and defeat Triple H


What I Want To Happen: Same as above.

Six Pack Challenge WWE Smackdown Women's Championship Match:

Alexa Bliss (c) vs Becky Lynch vs Natalya vs Mickie James vs Carmella vs Naomi

Can Alexa Bliss retain the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship against huge odds on the night?

This will perhaps be the most interesting and exciting of the two Women's Championship matches on the night and it's simply down to the fact that the Six Pack Challenge stipulation makes this match very hard to predict.

It must be said that Alexa Bliss has just been fantastic in her role ever since her debut on the Smackdown brand and has been a highlight of the show week after week as her heel character has great shades of Trish Stratus in her early years.

I expect action all over the ring in this one, and it's sure to keep the fans guessing.


What Will Happen: Naomi will win back the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship


What I Want To Happen: Alexa Bliss retains the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship

Singles Match:

The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns

Who will prove to be the real owner of the Wrestling Yard?

Now this is a very interesting match, and it's mainly down to just how WWE plan to have this all unfold and go down as the man that the WWE are determined to have the fans embrace and become the top babyface of the company Roman Reigns is sure to be showered in boos and a huge negative reaction from the crowd.

And going by rumours the WWE have a long term plan to have Roman Reigns go on a big route to next years Wrestlemania to face the winner of the WWE Universal Championship match at next year's Wrestlemania (and yes the plan is to have Reigns win the championship there).

But the dilemma here is that if WWE really has what they have planned for Roman Reigns, it is simply not going to work because they have tried the Roman Reign Babyface experiment for 2 years now and the fans have booed him out of buildings worser than John Cena! (Cena at least had a positive reaction from the crowd in the early stages of his big babyface run).

This match simply needs to be the catalyst for the much needed Roman Reigns heel turn, because the WWE just cannot carry on with the Roman Reigns babyface project any longer.

And this match right here is the perfect place to pull the trigger on Roman Reigns finally letting out 2 years of frustration and not being accepted by the fans by destroying and dominating the most beloved legend and veteran in the wrestling business The Undertaker.

Two ways this match could go could be that Roman Reigns slow builds into the turn throughout the match, but then suddenly The Undertaker out of no where pulls out the victory leading to Reigns totally obliterating The Deadman and putting him down for good leading to The Undertaker being taken out of the arena by a stretcher.

Or Roman Reigns could just heel on The Undertaker right out of the gate by totally dominating him in a shades of Brock Lesnar vs John Cena at Summerslam 2014.

But will WWE be bold enough to do something like this at Wrestlemania in the current climate? I really hope so.

What Will Happen: Roman Reigns will defeat The Undertaker.

What I Want To Happen: Roman Reigns obliterates The Undertaker, putting him out of action 'for good' 

WWE Universal Championship

Goldberg(c) vs Brock Lesnar

Will Brock Lesnar (right) finally put the demon on his shoulder to rest by taking down Goldberg? (left)

I'm not sure if this will be the main event over The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns match but this seems to be billed as the main event match, so i'll talk about this one last.

I won't be expecting much from this one as I will be extremely surprised if Goldberg wrestles a lengthy match here, I feel we will see at least 10 minutes in this bout which will see a even showcase of dominance between both Lesnar and Goldberg.

This will be a short explosive bout between two powerhouses that will surely hype up the crowd, no matter where it's placed on the card.

What Will Happen: Brock Lesnar will defeat Goldberg to become the new WWE Universal Championship.

What I Want To Happen: Same as above.




Feel free to leave your comments and opinions on how you feel Wrestlemania 33 will unfold tonight.


-By Simeon Barrett