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WWE SummerSlam 2020: Roman Reigns returns, full recap, results and ratings
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Roman Reigns returns, full recap, results and ratings
Lots happened at SummerSlam, including the crowning of The Fiend as Universal Champion. But the big news of the night was a surprise: Roman Reigns returned after the main event, spearing the crap out of The Fiend and destroying Braun Strowman. SummerSlam's tagline was "You'll never see it coming" and I was shamefully admit -- I did not see this coming. It likely all leads to WWE's next pay-per-view, Payback, which takes place on Sunday. I know, it's crazy.
It capped off a mixed show. The WWE Championship match was excellent, and saw Drew McIntyre retain over Randy Orton. Asuka won the Raw Women's Championship in another strong bout. The other key match was Dominik Mysterio against Seth Rollins in a street fight, which ended with Rollins crushing Dominik with a curb stomp.
Everything else on the show was average, including the disappointing SmackDown Women's Championship match between Bayley and Asuka and the Loser Leaves WWE contest between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
For full SummerSlam results and analysis, scroll below.
The Fiend wins the Universal Championship, gets killed by Roman Reigns
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Braun Strowman in a car crash of a Falls Count Anywhere match to win the Universal Championship. Roman Reigns returned afterwards, spearing The Fiend and destroying Strowman with a chair.
The championship match itself was all big moves. It began with The Fiend hitting a urangage on Strowman. The two ended up outside, with Strowman crashing The Fiend through the barricade. He then tried to slam The Fiend through the announcer's table, but it didn't break. Back in the ring, he hit his running powerslam for a two count.
They then went backstage, where The Fiend planted Strowman with a Sister Abigail. Two count. They brawled back to the ring, where they continued to hit big moves on one another. Strowman got a box cutter and cut the ring mat, exposing the wooden planks below.
The Fiend hit him with another uranage and two Sister Abigails to win the title.
Rating: 3.25 stars. Little psychology, lots of impact.
Drew McIntyre pins Randy Orton
Drew McIntyre is still WWE Championship. After an excellent match, he pinned Randy Orton with a rollup.
This was the opposite of the earlier Rollins/Mysterio match. There weren't any spectacular spots, but a lot of fantastic wrestling. From start to finish, this was smooth, well paced and intense.
It began with Orton playing mind games, evading McIntyre by stalling outside the ring. McIntyre would get frustrated, and Orton would take advantage. The RKO and Claymore were both teased early. It turned into a very strong back-and-forth bout. Orton hit a suplex on the announce table, McIntyre locked in the Figure Four as a nod to Ric Flair. Orton did is patented middle-rope DDT, McIntyre reverse a tree of woe into a suplex and scored a top-rope clothesline.
Both men ended up bloodied up, and both men worked incredible hard. The finish was great because it was a clean pin but not a definitive one. McIntyre won, but not decisively enough that a rematch doesn't make sense.
Rating: 4.25 stars. This was great, and I'm excited to see the rematch.
Asuka wins Raw Women's Championship
Asuka tapped out Sasha Banks to win the Raw Women's Championship in by far the best match of the night so far.
The bout followed the story from the opening match. Asuka's leg was injured, so Banks went straight for that. Just moments in, Banks hit a gnarly sunset flip powerbomb to Asuka from the apron to the ground. Yet the highlight of the match came as Banks and Asuka traded submission holds -- from Asuka Lock to Banks Statement, back and forth -- leading to some awesome false finishes.
The actual finish came when Bayley tried to interfere but caught a spinning forearm from Asuka. Banks tried to work off the distraction, a mirror from the Bayley match's finish, but Asuka countered into the Asuka Lock for the submission.
Rating: 3.75 stars. Great start to finish, if only it was longer.
Seth Rollins pins Dominik Mysterio
As far as first matches go, this was an excellent one for Dominik Mysterio. But as far as feature SummerSlam matches go, this was too long, and had a bit too much smoke and mirrors. With that said, the finish was awesome: Rey Mysterio was handcuffed to the ropes (some of the smoke and mirrors I mentioned), and watched as Rollins curb stomped Dominik for the three count.
Other than Rey being handcuffed, this street fight also saw a cameo appearance by Rey's wife, interference from Murphy, the extensive use of kendo sticks and a spot that saw both Dominik and Rollins crash through a table.
But the wrestling itself was average. It had to be: This was Dominik's first match. Rollins is amazing, and Dominik did super well, so it certainly wasn't bad. It just felt like a lot of filler between spots. It would have been stronger with a third of its length cut. That said, Dominik Mysterio is clearly going to be great.
Rating: 3 stars. Would have been better shorter, and certainly with a live crowd reacting to Dominik's debut.
Mandy Rose defeats Sonya Deville
WWE's ThunderDome features piped-in audio to replicate the sounds of a live crowd. This match benefitted greatly from that, because I'm sure it would have died in front of a crowd. Mandy Rose got the win after hitting three running knee strikes on Sonya Deville, and then planting Deville with a pedigree-face buster.
These two women worked hard, but it was ultimately sloppy and a little boring. It was a no disqualification match, which ended up meaning a lot of ringside brawling but not much in the way of spectacle. After the bout, Michael Cole blithely states that Deville must not leave WWE, struggling hard to care.
One upside: It felt like this match was designed to show a tough side to Mandy Rose. That's a legitimately redeeming quality here, because it gives the bout purpose. It wasn't exciting to watch, but it still achieved something.
Rating: 1.5 stars.
Street Profits retain Raw Tag Team Championships
Kevin Owens was out for commentary for this match. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins got the W after Ford hit a wicked Frog Splash on Angel Garza, who was teaming with Andrade.
This bout was a little disjointed at points, but it was a solid tag match. Dawkins is a freak of an athlete, which makes it fun to watch him do basically anything. Andrade is an underrated performer, and was another highlight.
It began with Ford getting the advantage over Garza, but the bad guys quickly turned things around by double teaming and beating down on Ford. Things picked up when Dawkins got the hot tag and cleared house. He had a strong -- but too brief -- exchange with Andrade. In the end, Andrade would be distracted when Zelina Vega was knocked off the apron, allowing the Street Profits to get the pin on Andrade.
Rating: 2.5 stars. A simple, but decent match.
Bayley beats Asuka
The main show kicked off with Asuka's first championship opportunity as she took on Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Bayley would end up retaining by securing a rollup after interference from Sasha Banks.
It was not a particularly good match. The story is that Bayley, towards the end, put the hurt to Asuka's knee. This began with Bayley dropping Asuka knee-first into the apron. She then followed with some leg-based submissions. After the match, Banks and Bayley beat down on Asuka further.
In other words, this match was a warmup for the Asuka versus Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship. That is likely to be the better bout. Bayley and Asuka didn't really click here. There's also the issue of Bayley's offence, which is often not convincing. This was noticeable here, where she applied some weak-looking "submission holds" that poor Corey Graves had to try and explain ("it's a knee bar, sort of, but she hasn't got it all...")
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Apollo Crews retains United States Championship
Crews defeated MVP in a short match to retain his US title. He pinned MVP after a spinning powerbomb.
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WWE Hell in a Cell 2020: Results, full recap and new champions
WWE Hell in a Cell 2020: Results, full recap and new champions
Hell in a Cell may be a "B" pay-per-view -- meaning, not Royal Rumble, WrestleMania or SummerSlam -- but it was one of the most notable WWE events in months. A lot of that is thanks to the main event, where Randy Orton pinned Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Championship.
It's not just that, though. The Miz beat Otis in a head-scratcher of a match to win the Money in the Bank championship, which means we could see an attempted cash in by The Miz sometime soon. And later, Sasha Banks beat Bayley in a great Hell in a Cell bout to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.
We now look ahead to Survivor Series. Taking place on Nov. 22, it'll be a celebration of the Undertaker's 30 years in WWE.
Your new WWE Champ.
WWE
Randy Orton becomes 14x World Champion
Randy Orton pinned Drew McIntyre clean, with an RKO, to become WWE Champion in the show's main event.
The match started quizzically, with Orton, dressed as a cameraman, ambushing McIntyre as McIntyre was entering the Cell. McIntyre fought Orton off, and the match began. After some decent action, Orton cut open the chain that had locked the Cell and tried to retreat. This ended with both Orton and McIntyre on top of the Cell.
After some brawling, the two began to descend by climbing down the side. Orton battered McIntyre, who fell from the Cell through an announcer's table. From here, the match slowed down to a crawl -- but in a good way. The drama from here on out was excellent.
McIntyre did a fantastic job of selling. Orton dragged him back into the ring and setup the RKO. McIntyre countered with a rollup attempt, like the one he used to beat Orton at SummerSlam. He then hit a Claymore on Orton, who rolled outside the ring. McIntyre then threw Orton back into the ring and setup a Claymore. He missed, Orton hit an RKO and became a 14-time world champion.
Rating: 3.75 stars. The first half of the match was average, the second half outstanding.
Bobby Lashley beats Slapjack
This impromptu bout between Bobby Lashley and Retribution's Slapjack was for the United States Championship. After a quick, nothing match, Lashley submitted Slapjack with the Hurt Lock. After the match, Mustafa Ali came to the ring with the rest of Retribution. Lashley single-handedly fought them off, and then the Hurt Business hit the ring. Retribution fled.
Rating: 1 star. RIP Retribution.
Sasha Banks beats Bayley
After a lengthy Hell in a Cell match, Sasha Banks became SmackDown Women's Champion after she made Bayley tap out.
This was a long, back-and-forth match. It was flawed bout, feeling disjointed at times, but ultimately an outstanding one. Banks is absolutely awesome, with creative offense throughout and also some superb selling. She hit Bayley with a number of creative Meteoras throughout -- running up a table, off the ringside into the cage, and so on -- and ultimately won with a Banks Statement augmented with a chair around Bayley's neck.
Bayley did well on her part, too. I've often found her offense unconvincing, and that was an issue at points here. But she was very good when it counted, especially towards the end as the intensity built to the end. It's hard doing a 20 minute-plus Cell match in front of a virtual crowd, and these performers both did great.
Rating: 4 stars. Imperfect, but exceptional.
The Miz pins Otis to win Money in the Bank briefcase
The Miz pinned Otis after Tucker betrayed his Heavy Machinery tag-team partner. Otis smashed Otis in the head with the briefcase when the ref wasn't looking, with the Miz pinning Otis immediately after.
The match leading up to this moment was subaverage. Miz offense is generally weak, and that's made more evident when you're expected to take it seriously against a much larger opponent. John Morrison, Miz' tag partner, intervened at various points, and was ejected moments before Tucker's betrayal.
It was a shocker when Otis won the briefcase, even more so once Roman Reigns became champion. It's hard to imagine a long program between Reigns and Otis, a little easier to see Reigns defeat a challenging Miz.
The fact that Miz won this match makes the cutesy build, which was mostly a comedy skit featuring JBL as adjudicating a spat between Miz and Otis, all the more galling.
Rating: 2 stars.
Jeff Hardy vs. Elias ends with DQ
A SmackDown-quality match with a SmackDown-quality ending.
After an OK match, Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Elias. He went for a Swanton Bomb but Elias rolled out of the ring and tried to attack Hardy with his guitar. Hardy blocked him, took the guitar and smashed it over Elias' back, leading to an unceremonious DQ.
Rating: 1.5 stars. Just there.
Roman Reigns makes Jey Uso say 'I Quit'
Hell in a Cell opened with Roman Reigns versus Jey Uso, an I Quit match inside a Cell cage. After a long, dramatic bout, Reigns made Jey say "I Quit" when Reigns locked a guillotine onto Jey's twin brother Jimmy.
This match was very similar to their confrontation at Clash of Champions. It started with fantastic back-and-forth action (different from their Clash match, which was almost all Reigns), and then slowed down for the final stretch. Reigns had speared Jey three times and locked on a guillotine, after which Jey was largely motionless. When Jey refused to quit, Reigns hit a Driveby dropkick onto the steel steps, which smashed into Jey's head.
Reigns took the steel steps and laid them atop Jey, telling him to quit. When Jey, who was basically dead, refused, Jimmy ran into the cage (defeating the purpose of having a cage) and begged him to stop. Reigns acted contrite, and shook Jimmy's hand -- before locking on a guillotine, leading to Jey quitting to save Jimmy.
The dynamic action that the first two-thirds of the bout consisted of was excellent. Reigns is a fierce heel, and Jey's offence as an underdog babyface is fantastic. The dramatic highpoint came when Jey brought out a strap and began choking Reigns, who began to pass out. Ultimately, it would be Reigns' guillotine choke moments later that ended Jey.
After the match, Afa and Sika, Reigns' dad and uncle, crowned him the Tribal Chief.
Rating: 3.5 stars. Very good. The storyline was almost identical in concept and execution as last month's match, making it less effective. The last third, where Jey was dead and Reigns was trying to eek an "I Quit" out of him, also could have been trimmed by a few minutes. But the action proceeding it was excellent.
Kickoff Show Results
R-Truth defended his 24/7 Championship on the Kickoff Show, taking on challenger Drew Gulak. Truth pinned Gulak in a short match to retain his title.
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WWE Hell in a Cell 2020: Results, full recap and new champions
WWE Hell in a Cell 2020: Results, full recap and new champions
Hell in a Cell may be a "B" pay-per-view -- meaning, not Royal Rumble, WrestleMania or SummerSlam -- but it was one of the most notable WWE events in months. A lot of that is thanks to the main event, where Randy Orton pinned Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Championship.
It's not just that, though. The Miz beat Otis in a head-scratcher of a match to win the Money in the Bank championship, which means we could see an attempted cash in by The Miz sometime soon. And later, Sasha Banks beat Bayley in a great Hell in a Cell bout to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.
We now look ahead to Survivor Series. Taking place on Nov. 22, it'll be a celebration of the Undertaker's 30 years in WWE.
Your new WWE Champ.
WWE
Randy Orton becomes 14x World Champion
Randy Orton pinned Drew McIntyre clean, with an RKO, to become WWE Champion in the show's main event.
The match started quizzically, with Orton, dressed as a cameraman, ambushing McIntyre as McIntyre was entering the Cell. McIntyre fought Orton off, and the match began. After some decent action, Orton cut open the chain that had locked the Cell and tried to retreat. This ended with both Orton and McIntyre on top of the Cell.
After some brawling, the two began to descend by climbing down the side. Orton battered McIntyre, who fell from the Cell through an announcer's table. From here, the match slowed down to a crawl -- but in a good way. The drama from here on out was excellent.
McIntyre did a fantastic job of selling. Orton dragged him back into the ring and setup the RKO. McIntyre countered with a rollup attempt, like the one he used to beat Orton at SummerSlam. He then hit a Claymore on Orton, who rolled outside the ring. McIntyre then threw Orton back into the ring and setup a Claymore. He missed, Orton hit an RKO and became a 14-time world champion.
Rating: 3.75 stars. The first half of the match was average, the second half outstanding.
Bobby Lashley beats Slapjack
This impromptu bout between Bobby Lashley and Retribution's Slapjack was for the United States Championship. After a quick, nothing match, Lashley submitted Slapjack with the Hurt Lock. After the match, Mustafa Ali came to the ring with the rest of Retribution. Lashley single-handedly fought them off, and then the Hurt Business hit the ring. Retribution fled.
Rating: 1 star. RIP Retribution.
Sasha Banks beats Bayley
After a lengthy Hell in a Cell match, Sasha Banks became SmackDown Women's Champion after she made Bayley tap out.
This was a long, back-and-forth match. It was flawed bout, feeling disjointed at times, but ultimately an outstanding one. Banks is absolutely awesome, with creative offense throughout and also some superb selling. She hit Bayley with a number of creative Meteoras throughout -- running up a table, off the ringside into the cage, and so on -- and ultimately won with a Banks Statement augmented with a chair around Bayley's neck.
Bayley did well on her part, too. I've often found her offense unconvincing, and that was an issue at points here. But she was very good when it counted, especially towards the end as the intensity built to the end. It's hard doing a 20 minute-plus Cell match in front of a virtual crowd, and these performers both did great.
Rating: 4 stars. Imperfect, but exceptional.
The Miz pins Otis to win Money in the Bank briefcase
The Miz pinned Otis after Tucker betrayed his Heavy Machinery tag-team partner. Otis smashed Otis in the head with the briefcase when the ref wasn't looking, with the Miz pinning Otis immediately after.
The match leading up to this moment was subaverage. Miz offense is generally weak, and that's made more evident when you're expected to take it seriously against a much larger opponent. John Morrison, Miz' tag partner, intervened at various points, and was ejected moments before Tucker's betrayal.
It was a shocker when Otis won the briefcase, even more so once Roman Reigns became champion. It's hard to imagine a long program between Reigns and Otis, a little easier to see Reigns defeat a challenging Miz.
The fact that Miz won this match makes the cutesy build, which was mostly a comedy skit featuring JBL as adjudicating a spat between Miz and Otis, all the more galling.
Rating: 2 stars.
Jeff Hardy vs. Elias ends with DQ
A SmackDown-quality match with a SmackDown-quality ending.
After an OK match, Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Elias. He went for a Swanton Bomb but Elias rolled out of the ring and tried to attack Hardy with his guitar. Hardy blocked him, took the guitar and smashed it over Elias' back, leading to an unceremonious DQ.
Rating: 1.5 stars. Just there.
Roman Reigns makes Jey Uso say 'I Quit'
Hell in a Cell opened with Roman Reigns versus Jey Uso, an I Quit match inside a Cell cage. After a long, dramatic bout, Reigns made Jey say "I Quit" when Reigns locked a guillotine onto Jey's twin brother Jimmy.
This match was very similar to their confrontation at Clash of Champions. It started with fantastic back-and-forth action (different from their Clash match, which was almost all Reigns), and then slowed down for the final stretch. Reigns had speared Jey three times and locked on a guillotine, after which Jey was largely motionless. When Jey refused to quit, Reigns hit a Driveby dropkick onto the steel steps, which smashed into Jey's head.
Reigns took the steel steps and laid them atop Jey, telling him to quit. When Jey, who was basically dead, refused, Jimmy ran into the cage (defeating the purpose of having a cage) and begged him to stop. Reigns acted contrite, and shook Jimmy's hand -- before locking on a guillotine, leading to Jey quitting to save Jimmy.
The dynamic action that the first two-thirds of the bout consisted of was excellent. Reigns is a fierce heel, and Jey's offence as an underdog babyface is fantastic. The dramatic highpoint came when Jey brought out a strap and began choking Reigns, who began to pass out. Ultimately, it would be Reigns' guillotine choke moments later that ended Jey.
After the match, Afa and Sika, Reigns' dad and uncle, crowned him the Tribal Chief.
Rating: 3.5 stars. Very good. The storyline was almost identical in concept and execution as last month's match, making it less effective. The last third, where Jey was dead and Reigns was trying to eek an "I Quit" out of him, also could have been trimmed by a few minutes. But the action proceeding it was excellent.
Kickoff Show Results
R-Truth defended his 24/7 Championship on the Kickoff Show, taking on challenger Drew Gulak. Truth pinned Gulak in a short match to retain his title.
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'Bones day' on TikTok: Why everyone's talking about this viral pug
'Bones day' on TikTok: Why everyone's talking about this viral pug
If you're wondering what kind of day you'll be having today, 13-year-old pug Noodle says you should treat yourself and seize the day.
Well, Noodle can't talk, of course, but he's part of a new TikTok trend in which he supposedly predicts how your day will go -- in other words, whether it'll be a "bones day" or a "no-bones day." Here's what that means and what to know about the meme that's exploded on TikTok.
What's a 'bones' or 'no-bones' day?
TikToker Jonathan Graziano regularly posts videos of his pug in the morning to see "whether Noodle has bones" -- in other words, whether he stays standing when propped up in his dog bed or flops back down when let go.
If Noodle stays standing, it's a bones day, meaning you should buy yourself that sushi you've been wanting or finally ask for that raise -- in other words, seize the day! But if he collapses back into his dog bed, it's a no-bones day, meaning you have permission to cancel plans and take it easy.
Here's Noodle's prediction for Monday. (Spoiler alert: It's a bones day!)
@jongraz
hope you all have the best Monday! 🔮🦴 #nobones#bonesday#pug#noodletok#monday
♬ original sound - Jonathan
When did the videos become popular?
Graziano has been posting videos of Noodle on TikTok since he joined the platform in late 2020, but the clips have really taken off in October, with each garnering millions of views. This one of a "no-bones morning" from Oct. 4 hit over 10 million views.
"If today was the day you were planning to call your sister and tell her you just hate her husband, today is not the day to do that," Graziano says in a voiceover on the clip.
@jongraz
the Bones have spoken!! ##pug##adoptdontshop##nobones##noodletok##mondaymotivation
♬ original sound - Jonathan
Graziano told Insider he had around 50,000 TikTok followers two weeks ago; he now has 1.7 million.
The creator reportedly met Noodle in 2016 and adopted him after his owner wasn't able to care for him anymore. Since those early days, Graziano would try to get Noodle to get up in the mornings by propping him up, but he'd sometimes melt back into the ground -- "not from an inability to stand up, but seemingly as a choice," Graziano told Insider. He's been sharing pictures of Noodle via his Instagram account @showmenoodz, which has over 50,000 followers.
Software engineer Jake Kaplow also created a notification site that sends a text each morning about whether or not it's a bones day, for anyone who's invested in the trend but doesn't want to hop on TikTok.
Other 'bones day' memes
Noodle has inspired TikTok hashtags like #nobones, which has over 151 million views, and #bonesday, which has over 32 million views.
"Do I believe in astrology?" one user says in a video. "No. Do I believe in that dog who predicts whether or not it's gonna be a good day based on if they wake up with bones or not? Yes."
@www.emma.org
im having a real no bones day #nobones#noodle#noodlethepug#bones
♬ original sound - emma
"And I checked the forecast, and it was a no-bones day," another TikToker says as she lies down. Someone responds, "Well, yeah, if it's a no bones day, I mean what are you supposed to do? It's no bones day!"
@bardbarianboi
##stitch with @_jen_hamilton_ what are you supposed to do? ##nobones##nobonesday##noodletok##bard##bardbarianboi
♬ original sound - BardBarianBoi
Another user poked fun at the pug's fortune-telling abilities (while also jokingly misquoting the catchphrase "Mercury's in retrograde"), saying, "Mercury might be in Gatorade, but the pug had bones. Let's get this bread."
@emmalinechilds
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE BONES 🦴🐶 #nobones#coffeetalk#mercuryretrograde#mercurygatorade#humpday
♬ Nuthin' But A "G" Thang - Dr. Dre
In one video, a TikToker shows how productive a day at work is on a bones day.
@morgandrinkscoffee
I am PUMPED for the day #bonesday#nobones#noodle#barista
♬ original sound - charlotte (is gay)
On the other hand, another user posted a video that reads, "The fact that I literally woke up early, got dressed, and decided to finally be productive just to find out it's a no bones day," as she stares blankly at the camera.
@abbylmiller11
back to bed I guess #foryoupage#nobones#fyp
♬ Mud Flow "the Sense of me" ( Soundtrack Life is Strange) - DOLKINS
Well, it turns out the weather is no longer the only forecast we should be checking. As one user put it, "My biggest mistake today was that I didn't check the bones forecast this morning."
@mlmclands
learned the hard way that it is, in fact, a no bones day #noodle#nobonesday#nobones#pug#ForYouPizza @jongraz
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Beyond Axie Infinity: 'Web3 Games' Hope to Convert Crypto Skeptics
Beyond Axie Infinity: 'Web3 Games' Hope to Convert Crypto Skeptics
The moment Chris saw Axie Infinity, he was hooked. He was once an avid gamer, playing hours of League of Legends every day, but stopped after deciding he was sinking too much time into an unproductive hobby. Axie Infinity promised something different. Inspired by Pokemon, it's a video game about training and battling monsters. That sounds like hundreds of other games, but one element distinguishes Axie Infinity. It's built on the blockchain.
Axies are the Pokemon of Axie Infinity, but they're owned as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. A cryptocurrency called Smooth Love Potion is earned by battling these Axies. Players can also breed Axies, then either sell or battle with them. Chris, who declined to give his real name and goes only by the pseudonym Cryptobarbarian, felt he could justify playing video games again -- as long as it paid.
"It was fun for the first few weeks, but it gets boring really fast," the 28-year-old said. From there, he said, Axie Infinity became purely about making money.
Axie Infinity is a browser game. Accessing it is free, but you need to buy a team of three Axies to play. At its peak of popularity, bottom-tier Axies cost around $350 each, meaning playing the game once required a four-figure investment. The game allows Axie owners to lease out their monsters to other players, however. A longtime crypto investor, Cryptobarbarian told me he bought $30,000 worth of Axies and loaned them out in return for 40% to 70% of the profits. (CNET wasn't able to verify his purchases.)
The strategy paid off at first. Axie Infinity was a hot ticket in CryptoTown, generating over $15 million a day last August. But thanks to a combination of poor in-game economics, inflation threatening the real world's economy and a $600 million hack reportedly caused by a fake job posting, the price of Axies and the game's Smooth Love Potion cryptocurrency collapsed. The same monsters that cost hundreds of dollars last year now fetch under $10.
"I got around 100 players playing for me with high-end Axies," Cryptobarbarian said to me over Twitter, "which overall cost around $100,000 at the height and are now worth nothing."
To gamers, stories like this provide ample reason to reject "Web3 gaming," a term referring to the integration of NFTs and cryptocurrency into games. The significant carbon footprint of ethereum and bitcoin adds to the resentment. Be it Ubisoft bringing NFTs into Ghost Recon or Square Enix launching Final Fantasy 7 NFTs, gamers have fiercely resisted the blockchain coming anywhere near their industry.
Three Axies in Axie Infinity.
Sky Mavis
The fear is that crypto and NFTs will deform gaming into a side hustle, transforming its purpose from entertainment to moneymaking. Play-to-earn titles such as Axie Infinity prove the point; they're not games as much as they are financial speculation with the veneer of a game.
"I've never met anyone that played it just for fun," Cryptobarbarian said of Axie Infinity, "only to make money."
But Axie Infinity doesn't represent the future that many Web3 developers envision for gaming. Video game firms, both small and large, are developing titles they hope will clean the slate of Web3 gaming. All are on carbon-neutral blockchains such as polygon or solana, which are far more efficient than ethereum. (Whether they're as secure is an open question.) The goal isn't to make titles that entertain crypto speculators, but rather to make games fun enough that people can justify playing them regardless of whether they earn crypto.
"I've long been a believer that gaming is one of the consumer internet categories that is most likely to bring on mainstream adoption of crypto," said Amy Wu, head of gaming at FTX Ventures, the investment arm of the FTX crypto exchange. "But I also believe when you have a hit game with Web3 elements, it's very likely that the majority of players will never actually trade those tokens. They're just playing the game."
Free to play, play to own
The upcoming wave of Web3 games will range from free-to-play mobile titles to big-budget AAA games for PC and console. On the simpler end of the scale is Shatterpoint. With an art style inspired by Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it's an action RPG for Android and iOS that, on paper, looks like many top App Store games. There's a single-player campaign plus a PvP multiplayer mode. You earn new weapons and gear as you progress and, much like Fortnite and Call of Duty, the multiplayer is broken up into different "seasons."
But these seasons, segmented by "the shattering" in the game, is where the blockchain comes in. Players will be given a certain list of goals each season. If they complete one -- say, being one of the first 100 players to reach level 50, or staying atop of the PvP leaderboard for a certain amount of time -- their character will be converted into an NFT. Only a limited amount of NFTs will be minted per season.
There are two reasons why players might want to bother scoring an NFT. The shattering acts as an in-game reset, so any gear you've collected will vanish. NFT characters, of which there will be a limited amount each season, are permanent. However your character looks when it's minted into an NFT, with whatever combination of gear equipped, that's how it'll look in perpetuity. The second benefit is that these NFTs can be sold on a marketplace -- if there's a market for them.
A screenshot from Shatterpoint.
Estoty Games
There are three crucial elements that make this model sustainable, says Shatterpoint developer Benas Baltramiejunas. First, the game is free to play -- unlike P2E games like Axie Infinity, which requires the upfront cost of three Axie NFTs. Second, none of the items retained as an NFT can resemble "pay to win" mechanics. There can only be cosmetic benefits to owning it, not a competitive edge. Last, and most important, the game is designed with the assumption that most people playing won't be interested in minting their character as an NFT. It has to be fun for them too.
"We're using the NFT approach to create a bit of competitiveness, to incentivize players to play," he said. Shatterpoint is monetized by traditional microtransactions and from taking a small cut of NFT sales -- 2.5% is the traditional cut creators take. Baltramiejunas hopes that focusing on NFTs will result in both better game design and fairer prices. If developers can create a compelling game, revenue can theoretically be sorted out organically through whatever the player base sets as the value of the NFTs.
"In free-to-play games you have whales which account for 10% of the player base but 90% of the revenue," Baltramiejunas said. "If you only have those microtransactions for monetization, you are only focusing on those whales during the content creation, and you're leaving everybody behind. However, with NFT integration, you don't need to monetize that aggressively. The market decides."
NFT brands expand into gaming
While Shatterpoint is a mobile game that produces NFTs, the coming years will see many examples of the reverse: NFT collections turning into games. NFT drops, such as the famed Bored Ape Yacht Club, are doubling as crowdfunding platforms that produce games. Creators earn millions in royalties from sales, and use that money to expand the brand, theoretically boosting NFT prices in the process. Some brands are expanding into TV and film. Many are dabbling in gaming.
One such example is My Pet Hooligan. It's a product of AMGI Studios, an animation studio where former Pixar animator Colin Brady serves as chief creative and technology officer. The studio sees Unreal Engine 5 and blockchain technology as the next technologies that will drive entertainment, Brady told me at the recent NFT.NYC conference.
AMGI Studios' goal of 2021 was to use Unreal Engine 5 to create an animated film for Netflix at half of the traditional cost. While the film was being greenlit, Brady explained, AMGI technical lead Kevin Mack approached him about starting an NFT collection.
The result was My Pet Hooligan, a set of 8,888 3D rabbits. "We sold out in less than a minute, and all of a sudden people started saying, 'hey, when movie? When TV show? When video game?'" Brady said. The studio, filled with Unreal Engine programmers, already had a game in the works.
The result is Rabbit Hole, a sandbox game that looks like a mix of Grand Theft Auto and Ratchet and Clank. Rabbit Hole is currently in closed alpha, available only for My Pet Hooligan NFT holders with only one map functional. The build of the game I saw at NFT.NYC was intriguing. It was certainly incomplete, with noticeable frame-rate issues, but had the clear foundation of a fun sandbox game.
My Pet Hooligan NFTs on the OpenSea marketplace.
AMGI Studios/OpenSea
Rabbit Hole will eventually be available for PC and console. Brady says the goal is to reach 1 million players by the end of the year. To encourage the type of in-game socialization seen among players of Fortnite and Roblox, the studio developed a companion facial-recognition app for phones. If you perch your phone where a webcam typically is on a computer, it'll track your face and replicate all facial movements on your on-screen Hooligan.
Unlike Shatterpoint, which will integrate just NFTs, Rabbit Hole will use both NFTs and crypto. It will have a play-to-earn mechanic -- or play and earn, as technical lead Kevin Mack prefers to say -- in the form of in-game currency Karrots. These will be used to buy clothing, dances and more for the Hooligan avatars, but it doubles as a cryptocurrency that can be exchanged for ether or bitcoin. You can earn money playing Rabbit Hole, but Brady said it's not going to be life-changing cash.
Then there's the NFT element. This is primed towards holders of the 8,888 My Pet Hooligan NFTs. While players who download the game will start with a generic Hooligan, My Pet Hooligan owners will be able to use their NFT as an avatar in the game.
If the game gets popular enough, Mack said, there will be a certain prestige to owning one of these avatars. But he recognizes that to make that happen, the team has to make a game that people actually want to play.
"Superman No. 1 is valuable because Superman was a great comic," he said. "I think the NFT space for a while started to get that a little backward, where they thought the things were valuable just because they were collectable."
To infinity...
Of all the NFT brands expanding into games, Bored Ape Yacht Club is the biggest. BAYC creators Yuga Labs are developing Otherside, a "metaverse" MMORPG. The term "metaverse" is nebulous, but in this case it refers to an open world where items are owned as NFTs and in-game currency is crypto that can be exchanged for dollars. Details on Otherside are scant, but Yuga has a huge warchest for it. The game's map will be made up of 200,000 plots of land, which players can buy and own. Over $350 million was raised from selling land back in May.
Otherside may be the Web3 game with the highest budget, but perhaps the most ambitious is Star Atlas.
In development since 2020, the Eve Online-inspired Star Atlas is crafted like a traditional AAA game. Michael Wagner, CEO of Star Atlas development studio ATMTA, told me there are around 200 developers working on the game. It's scheduled for release in 2026.
Like Eve Online, Star Atlas is half game, half space simulator. Players ride spacecraft through the galaxy, socializing and battling with each other, exploring exoplanets, mining lands and meteors for resources and so on.
Games like Eve Online are giant, big enough for players to lose themselves in for years. Star Atlas hopes to mimic that feat. On the way to doing so, it uses almost every new tool Web3 offers.
It starts with funding. Wagner said $185 million in revenue was raised in 2021, through the sale of an Atlas token and NFT ships, with a "substantial margin" of that funding development. In the game, ships, items and land will be owned as NFTs. There will be a comprehensive crypto economy built atop the game, which Wagner says will allow for not just a market, but a labor economy too. The economy isn't just in the game; part of Star Atlas will be built on the blockchain, meaning elements will be open source. People will be able to develop apps on top of this data, for things like spacecraft maintenance or resource management.
Part of Star Atlas' economy will involve taxation. Just like in real life, a certain percentage of all sales will go to a treasury. There will be a DAO, or decentralized autonomous organization, in which token holders can vote on how these funds are used, be it to fund a new marketing campaign or a user engagement campaign. Then there will be another DAO specifically for the game itself, where token holders can vote on changes to the game, like additional features or ways to balance combat.
"We've structured the economics of the DAO such that we don't lose control in the near term," Wagner said. "But in the future, it would even be possible for them to vote us out as the principal developer of the game and bring in somebody new if they think they could deliver the product in a superior fashion to us."
Risks and rewards
The potential of Web3 gaming is tremendous, but its challenges are enormous. An examination of Star Atlas alone highlights many issues Web3 developers are likely to face.
First and foremost, making video games is hard. Making high-quality AAA games is harder still, even for veteran game studios, and the Star Atlas game alone is audacious in its ambition. The Web3 components offer additional opportunity for failure: An imbalanced economy, for instance, has the potential to completely break the game. Then there's security and regulation. Crypto has been a digital Wild West for years, with scams endemic. Regulators are slowly changing that. It's an open question whether Web3 gaming can survive in a regulated environment.
"In many countries, consumer protection is the No. 1 driver of regulations. Given gaming is so mainstream, it will be a topic," said FTX Ventures' Wu. "100%, these assets are going to be regulated."
The final issue is the very commodity that fuels crypto tokens and NFT projects: hype. Games are often promised on NFT project road maps before a single second of development has been undertaken. As Brady noted, it took less than a day for My Pet Hooligan holders to demand the announcement of a game, movie or TV show to sustain hype and lift the NFT value. Vaporware is sure to be common.
Games will need to be developed in a way that insulates players from the crypto-rich speculators. Speculators outbidding each other can artificially raise the value of in-game items, which blocks players who actually want to play the game from accessing them. Recall the speculative bubble that caused the cost of entry to Axie Infinity to inflate to over $1,000.
"I'm personally not interested in someone who's paying $100,000 for an NFT," said Brady. "That's a certain echelon. That's not normal society. I'm only interested if this helps every person."
Of all the developers I spoke to, a recurring theme was mistrust of any games company that promises a regular income, or dangles the possibility of earning enough money to quit the rat race. "Play-to-earn is not sustainable and is going to die off," said Baltramiejunas. Instead, the goal is for Web3 games to be more engaging than the games you play today, with the benefit of some pocket money on the side.
"If the game was good I would be satisfied with a little money as long as it's not totally a time waste," said Cryptobarbarian, reflecting on how much money he'd need to earn to justify playing games again.
"If I could earn some lunch money with it, that would be nice. But I think that will take at least a few more years before it happens."
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Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (unlocked) review: Customization champ, but middle-of-the-pack phablet overall
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (unlocked) review: Customization champ, but middle-of-the-pack phablet overall
I like the Moto X Pure Edition (or Style as its globally known), but I was honestly ready to love it. For one thing, it's an unlocked phone available directly from Motorola at a reasonable price, and it's designed to work on all of the major US wireless carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint) -- that's a big step up from most unlocked phones that only work on the first two in that list. Likewise, the international Moto X Style should work on all the carriers in whichever territory it's sold -- and many countries will also get the stepdown Moto X Play phone, which is not currently slated for a US release.
In addition, this 5.7-inch follow-up to 2014's Motorola Moto X also promises the same customization options, like choosing between different trim colors and the material of the backing, that made me buy that model as my personal device. And in this sea of lookalike phones, this is a distinct advantage that the Moto X Pure Edition has over its rivals.
But instead, I was disappointed. Its larger design (up from 5.2 inches) feels far too cumbersome for smaller hands like mine. Battery life was unexceptional, its camera wasn't massively impressive and aside from a few minor tweaks, Motorola's Moto services don't feature anything substantially new.
When you compare it to a top-tier large-screen device like the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 , its drawbacks become even more obvious. And if you consider the current diverse landscape of unlocked handsets with the OnePlus 2 and ZTE Axon Pro , Motorola's phone doesn't quite come out on top. Though the Moto X was one of our favorite budget flagships last year, the same can't be said for the Moto X Pure Edition.
Availability
In the US, the handset starts at $400 unlocked ($100 less than last year's starting price). The price will increase, however, depending on storage capacity and certain design options.
In the UK the Style, as it's known, starts at £399 for 32GB of storage, with 64GB setting you back £434.
In Australia the Style is exclusive to Vodafone and only available on contract. It's available on both the AU$80 and AU$100 plans, for AU$3 of monthly handset repayments. That's a total cost over 24 months of AU$1,992 and AU$2,472 respectively.
Design and build
5.7-inch display with 2,560x1,440-pixel (2K) resolution
6.1 by 3 by 0.4 inches (154 by 76 by 11.1mm)
6.3 ounces (179 grams)
Compared to the 2014 Moto X , Motorola increased the Moto X Pure Edition's display by half an inch, bumping up the device's overall footprint. Though it isn't as big as the Google Nexus 6 (which was manufactured by Motorola before Google sold it off to Lenovo), the size jump still makes it notably bigger than the previous 5.2-inch Moto X . That means -- for some -- it won't fit in your front pockets easily and you can't maneuver it with one hand comfortably. I passed it around for several opinions, and even tall people with large hands noted problems reaching for the notifications shade with their thumbs.
We got our hands on a black variant with a walnut wood backing and silver trim.
Josh Miller/CNET
But putting aside the size, it's still an attractive, quality built handset. Its curved backing conforms to your palm and the screen's glass panel smoothly curves down the side edges. The control buttons are narrow, and the ridges on the power/sleep button makes it easier to identify by touch. And Motorola's metal M-dimple on the back of the previous generation has now shrunken in size and sits in an elegant metal strip that runs between it and the camera lens.
Keep in mind that unlike its cheaper Moto G counterpart that came out this year, the phone is not submersible underwater. It is water repellent though, so you won't have to worry about a few water droplets here and there.
The Moto X Pure Edition also has dual front speakers -- as in both speakers will output audio for music and movies (though only the bottom grille will output phone calls on speaker), resulting in a louder and fuller experience. This is different from last year's, which only used one stereo speaker for media, and the other served as the in-ear speaker for calls.
Most importantly, Motorola continues its legacy to enable users to customize the look of the device. You can start with either a black or white base color, choose the accent colors (as in, the color of the speaker grilles on the front and the metal strip on the back), and the color of the back, which also comes in different materials: plastic, wood, bamboo and leather.
Some may argue that the ability to customize the handsets is trivial. But when the mobile market is saturated with so many phones that look the same, having a say over how yours looks (without the use of a case), is one of the few ways to have it stand out and make it truly yours. That matters to people, and it's a need that Motorola has tapped into well.
Other different design options for the Moto X Pure Edition.
Motorola
As for device's display, it's bigger as I mentioned before. It also has a sharp 1,440p resolution and it's maximum brightness level is bright enough to view comfortably outdoors in sunlight. Likewise, the minimum brightness level is also extremely dim, which is useful for avoiding eye-strain when viewing your handset in the dark.
The screen has a wide viewing angle and is responsive to the touch. I had no problems reading text and playing games, and streaming YouTube videos and watching the HD movie "Gravity" looked smooth and crisp. There's also a new setting under Display where you can choose between two color modes: normal or vibrant. Under normal mode, colors are already bright and vivid. But with the latter, hues are more saturated and richer.
Software and features
Google Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS
Minimal Motorola software
Useful gesture controls
Despite its name, the Moto X Pure Edition isn't exactly the "purest" Android device, at least not compared to the Google's own Nexus family (understandably) and Play Edition handsets (though the latter has ceased all production since January). Don't be too disappointed, though -- if you want an untouched Android experience, Motorola's Moto line comes pretty close.
First, because you can get it unlocked, you won't get any carrier bloatware and branding. Instead, you'll get the usual set of Google apps such as the Chrome Web browser, Gmail, YouTube and more. Second, while you won't have a manufacturer user interface overlaid on top of the phone in the same way TouchWiz and Sense skins Samsung and HTC devices, respectively, Motorola still included some useful features under its Moto app.
These features are accessible under a single Moto app, which has Moto Assist, Actions, Voice and Display. Assist adjusts your Moto X Pure Edition settings depending on where you are or what you're doing. If you've scheduled a meeting into Google Calendar, for example, the device can switch to vibrate right and reply to any missed calls with a predetermined message.
Motorola's suite of software features (left), including Moto Voice commands (right).
Lynn La/CNET
Actions is all about gesture controls: Twist your wrist with the phone in your hand to launch the camera or chop your hand in the air to turn on and off the flash to use as a flashlight.
Motorola's voice input, called Voice, works similarly to Google Now, so if you've used that feature before, you have a good idea of what to do here. It works with both built-in and third-party apps and you can set an alarm, navigate to a destination with Maps, look up a song title that's playing at the moment, begin a Twitter post and more.
Display shows any missed notifications you have, even while the device is sleeping, with a wave gesture. The current time and any missed notifications will pop up in white. You can preview a missed notification by longpressing its app icon, or press-and-swipe to launch it directly from the screen.
Because it offers a nearly vanilla Android experience, you won't get any carrier bloatware.
Josh Miller/CNET
Two other apps, Moto Connect and Migrate, round up the last of the handset's Motorola software. Connect manages all peripheral Motorola gadgets you may have like the Moto 360 smartwatch or a pair of its wireless headphones. Migrate helps you port over your contacts, apps and other files from a previous phone onto your new Moto X Pure Edition.
For the most part, Motorola's software works well. I am a fan of Moto Display, which doesn't sound like much, but it saves you from having to press the power button throughout the day to see any missed notifications. And while it isn't a new feature, flicking the device to fire up the camera is convenient and saves a lot of time.
The handset is, however, loaded with your standard line of Google apps.
Josh Miller/CNET
I did run into some issues, however. For one thing, you'll need the latest version of the Moto app to update your status on Facebook hands-free through Moto Voice. Otherwise, the handset will reply that it can't connect to "the cloud" after you dictate a post. And while you can dictate Facebook posts and text messages, you can't do the same on Twitter. Voice just activates a small Twitter window so you can begin posting, but you'll need to type out the actual message.
It's also unclear what requires you to say your PIN when you use Voice commands while the phone is locked. For example, posting to Facebook prompts a PIN confirmation, but sending a text doesn't. The chopping gesture to activate the flash also doesn't feel natural or work as smoothly, and half the time I'm afraid I'll end up chucking my device across the room.
But perhaps the most disappointing thing is that compared to its predecessor, the Moto X Pure Edition doesn't offer anything substantial in terms of new software. A small amount of tweaks have been made, but overall, nothing substantial has been added. In some ways that's understandable since Motorola is purposely staying as close to the pure Android experience as one can get. But it's still a bit of a letdown to know that your new handset carries the same bag of tricks as it did last year.
Cameras and video
21-megapixel rear-facing camera
5-megapixel front-facing camera
Can record 4K (rear) and 1,080p (front) video
Night mode shooting and wide-angle front-facing camera has its own flash
The native camera app isn't loaded with tons of editing features, but both cameras do have HDR (high dynamic range) shooting, a touch-focus module where you can adjust the exposure as well, a digital zoom, a timer and geotagging. They also have a flash (yes, even the front-facing camera so you can brighten up your selfies) and a new shooting mode called "night mode" for low-light environments. Photos can be taken in either the wide 16:9 aspect ratio or the more squarish 4:3.
As for video, both front and rear cameras can record 1,080p HD footage and slow-mo videos in 720p (a change from the predecessor's better 1,080p slow-mo capabilities). While shooting video, you can also take pictures and pause recording.
The rear camera in particular can also take panoramic photos and scan QR codes and bar codes to look up via Google or copy onto the clipboard. And on top of already shooting 1,080p video, it can also record ultra-HD 4K video, which -- at 3,840x2,160p -- offers four times the resolution of 1,080p. That's state of the art -- albeit of dubious value, however.
Say cheese! The front-facing camera comes with its own flash.Josh Miller/CNETIn this well-lit indoor photo, objects are still clear and easy to make out, and lighting is evenly exposed.Lynn La/CNET
As for picture quality, photos looked decent, and the camera does well for everyday informal shots. Though they didn't manage to blow me away, it's still adequate enough to post online or print out a small photo.
Pictures taken outdoors or in amply-lit indoor environments looked great: colors were accurate, objects were clear with defined outlines and you can still see a lot of details retained at full resolution. There were a few times when the phone took a couple of tries to focus on an object up close, but eventually it'd lock on and snap a clear picture. Photos taken in low-light environments didn't fare as well, which is a common occurrence in smartphone photography. Though night mode improved exposure somewhat, I still saw a noticeable amount of digital noise, graininess and muted colors.
Because the front-facing camera has a wide-angle lens, my photos captured more content and space into the frame. As such, however, do expect to get some elongated angles near the corners of your pictures. For more information on camera quality, click the photos below to view them at their full resolution.
Video quality was solid. Nearby and distant audio was picked up well without any noticeable noise distortion, and both moving and still objects looked smooth and sharp. There was no discernible lag between my moving of the camera and what I saw in the viewfinder, and the camera was able to swiftly shift focus and exposure as I moved it around.
Night mode brightened up this dimly lit bar a tad -- but the photo is still not so great.
Lynn La/CNET
In our standard studio shot, these items look clear and defined, and the flash didn't leave any harsh reflections against the background.
Lynn La/CNET
This photo taken on a sunny day shows true-to-life colors and images that are sharp and in focus.
Lynn La/CNET
Though the stems and leaves on the right are clear, the right pomegranate gets blurry around the edges.
Lynn La/CNET
With its wide-angle front-facing camera, you can capture more content with your selfies (or groupies if you have friends).
Lynn La/CNET
Hardware performance
1.8GHz 6-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
600MHz Adreno 418 graphics processing unit
16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage with up to 128GB of expandable memory
3GB of RAM
3,000mAh nonremovable battery
Though the Moto X Pure Edition's processor has a lower clock speed than its predecessor (from 2.5 to 1.8GHz), its Snapdragon 808 processor still operates swiftly and smoothly. For one thing, the CPU is no slacker (it's the same one featured in the LG G4 ) and the RAM has been bumped up to 3GB. In general, I didn't notice any stuttering issues or lag while executing a number of everyday tasks like calling up the app drawer, opening the camera and switching between apps. Images for graphics-intensive games like Riptide GP 2 and Kill Shot were rendered fast and smooth, and the overall gaming experience was solid. It took about 37 seconds to power off and restart the device and 1.38 seconds to launch the camera.
Also, unlike the previous two versions of the Moto X, Motorola added a MicroSD card slot that can hold up to 128GB of extra memory -- giving you more breathing room for your photos and files.
But while the handset provides plenty of power to satisfy your daily smartphone needs, its benchmark scores falls behind its competitors. That's not surprising since the Galaxy Note 5 belongs to a more premium caliber, and both the OnePlus 2 and the ZTE Axon Pro sport the 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor. In that sense, the Moto X Pure Edition performed well for itself, but aside from having the second-highest single-core Geekbench 3 result among the latter two, it altogether fell a bit short of the other devices.
Benchmark test comparison
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition19,7251,2713,528Samsung Galaxy Note 524,5891,4884,939OnePlus 222,6451,1424,461ZTE Axon Pro25,7428683,958
3DMark Ice Storm (unlimited)
Geekbench 3 (single-core)
Geekbench 3 (multi-core)
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Call quality and data speeds
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
CDMA: (800/850/1900MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+: (850/900/1700(AWS)/1900/2100MHz)
LTE B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/25/26/38/41
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/b/n/ac + MIMO
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/b/n/ac + MIMO
For US customers, Motorola's handset is unique because it works for carriers that operate on either GSM or CDMA technology. Meaning, for example, the phone can make calls and surf the Internet on AT&T and T-Mobile's network (which uses the GSM standard) and do the same on Verizon and Sprint (which uses CDMA). This isn't a huge deal if you don't plan on leaving your carrier, but for those switching from a GSM to CDMA carrier or vice versa, or already have two devices on these different platforms, know that you can use the same Moto X no matter what network you go with.
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition average data speeds
4G LTE download rate
11.7Mbps
4G LTE upload rate
15.82Mbps
CNET mobile site load
4 seconds
CNET desktop site load
4 seconds
Temple Run 2 app download (44.52MB)
34 seconds
"Gravity" movie download (1.7GB)
24 minutes and 31 seconds
As for call quality, I tested the unlocked handset using AT&T's cellular network. Call quality was great. Volume range was appropriate (with the maximum volume being satisfyingly loud), my calling partner was clear and easy to understand and I didn't pick up any extraneous buzzing or static. Audio speaker was also reliable. As I mentioned before, speaker calls only comes out from the bottom grille, but that's still enough to hear my partner well, even when I was outdoors nearby noisy traffic. Likewise, I was told that I sounded good too, and when I stepped outdoors, my partner did not pick up any background sounds from the surrounding environment.
The phone's fast-charging Turbo Charger.
Josh Miller/CNET
Data speeds on AT&T's 4G LTE network were fast. According to Ookla's speed test, it had an average download rate of 11.7Mbps and upload rate of 15.82Mbps. It took about 4 seconds to load each of CNET's mobile and desktop site and 34 seconds to download and install the 44.52MB game Temple Run 2. One attempt to download the 1.7GB, high-definition movie "Gravity" took 24 minutes and 31 seconds.
Battery Life
With heavy usage, the Motorola X Pure Edition's non-removable battery can deplete quickly. After spending a workday surfing the Web, downloading apps and making calls, I hit 30 percent by late afternoon. To last the rest of the evening, I had to plug in the device for a charge.
During our battery drain test for continuous video playback, the handset lasted an average of 8 hours and 46 minutes. Although last year's Moto X had a smaller screen, its lower-capacity 2,300mAh battery lasted over 10 hours. And compared to its rivals, the OnePlus 2's 3,300mAh battery lasted 9 hours and 46 minutes (though we weren't very impressed with that performance either), and the Axon Pro's 3,000mAh battery lasted shorter at 8 hours and 8 minutes (again, not the best from all parties). I you want to know what does impress us, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 -- while admittedly a higher-tiered phone and expensive than all these devices -- lasted a whopping 15 hours of continuous playback on its 3,000mAh battery.
Motorola's handset, however, does come with a 25-watt Turbo Power charger, which promises to juice up your battery quickly. It does, in fact, charge the phone in a jiffy. When completely drained, it took only about an hour and 15 minutes to charge to 100 percent. And if you need to charge in a pinch, shutting it off and plugging it in for 10 minutes will gain about 20 percent battery life.
Conclusion
The Motorola Moto X Pure Edition is a great device for specific users. Google Android fans who can't wait until late September for the next Nexus reveal will enjoy the handset's nearly unsullied Android experience. The $400 phone bucks the current trend by offering external storage, and loops in support for the world's most prevalent network technologies -- CDMA and GSM -- so it should work with almost every carrier.
And with its numerous choices of color accents, engravings and materials, having a Moto X Pure Edition means having a device that reflects your own style. Heavily consider this handset if that's an important asset for you.
If it's not, however, there are lots of viable alternatives. If money isn't an issue, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the reigning Android supersize phone: It's powerful, stylish and has a long-lasting battery.
The Moto X Pure Edition is witnessing a far more competitive landscape for unlocked handsets than its predecessor.
Josh Miller/CNET
In addition, the mobile landscape for unlocked phones has changed a lot since last year's Moto X came out. They are getting more powerful at a lower cost.
For US customers, the $500 ZTE Axon Pro costs $100 more but has a 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of RAM and tons of native camera features. Globally, you can try and nab the OnePlus 2 . Due to its limited availability it can be hard to get, but if you do, it starts at the very competitive price of $330 (£215 or AU$450, converted). It's also equipped with the 810 CPU and if you're keen on wood backings like the ones that come with the Moto Xs, the OnePlus 2 has that as well.
All in all, the Moto X Pure Edition is a reliable and quality-built device, but if you have the previous model, don't feel like you're missing out on anything. The competition is fierce these days, and while the Moto X may be partially to blame for setting my expectations too high, the X Pure Edition just doesn't deliver that winning combination of style, power and value that I've come to expect.
WWE Wrestlemania 35: Results, ratings, surprises and new champions
WWE Wrestlemania 35: Results, ratings, surprises and new champions
Wrestlemania 35 is done! The biggest wrestling show of the year was headlined by the first ever women's main event. A triple threat match that pit Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey against SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair against Becky Lynch. And the winner (revealed below) walked away with both titles.
That was only the first of three major title matches. Noted human death machine Brock Lesnar faced Royal Rumble winner Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship, while Kofi Kingston got his first ever singles shot at the WWE Championship when he took on Daniel Bryan.
With over a dozen matches, these three championship bouts only scratched the surface. We also saw the return of Batista, Kurt Angle's retirement match, Roman Reigns' first Wrestlemania match since returning from his bout with leukemia and, amazingly, much more.
Below we recap the event as it happened. Needless to say, spoilers ahead!
Becky Lynch defeats Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair
The crowd may have one match worth of excitement in them yet. Fortuitous timing, because it's main event time.
Flair is taxied to the stadium in a helicopter. She steps out, takes off her leather jacket and has her lackeys bring over a patented Flair sparkle cape. Rousey is out first, played in by Joan Jett. Rousey smiles at the band, then gets her killer face on. Flair comes out to fireworks, and "The Man" Becky Lynch steams in last.
The crowd is all about Lynch. Remember, both Rousey's Raw Women's Championship and Flair's SmackDown Women's Championship are on the line.
Rousey kicks things off with punches to Lynch. Rousey kicks Flair out of the ring. Rousey is the monster of this main event. Lynch and Flair work together to take out Lynch. Flair and Lynch end up alone in the ring. The crowd is well and truly alive again, chanting "Becky" and booing everyone not Becky.
Rousey returns to the ring. Flair and Lynch try a double power bomb on her, but Rousey counters with a double armbar over the ropes. Lynch escapes and dropkicks Rousey out of the ring.
Flair goes for a moonsault on Lynch but Lynch counters into a Disarmer armbar. Rousey re-enters the ring and puts Lynch in an armbar. Flair breaks it up with a solid knee to Rousey's face. Flair hits Rousey with a million chops, then backhands her to the face. Rousey goes for a flying armbar.
All action. So far so good.
All three women are in the ring. Lynch hits an exploding suplex on Flair from the top rope. Rousey hits a off-the-top-rope splash on both and starts Judo throwing everyone. Double armbar on Lynch and Flair. Lynch and Flair counter with a double powerbomb on Rousey. Rousey holds the armbar. Two more powerbombs breaks the hold.
Lynch and Flair have an exchange, leaving Lynch alone with Rousey in the ring. Lynch hits the Disarmer on Rousey. Rousey powers out. Flair is back. Off-the-top-rope Spanish Fly from Flair to Lynch gets a two count. Flair kicks Lynch out of the ring. Flair works over Rousey's leg, which immediately bruises up. Flair puts a figure four leglock on Rousey using the ring post before Lynch breaks it up.
Flair puts Rousey in a Figure Eight leglock in the center of the ring but again Lynch breaks it up, this time with a flying leg drop. Lynch brings out a table. The crowd is happy. The table gets set up in the ring. Rousey kicks it over, the crowd is furious. She pummels Lynch. Flair spears both women. Double two counts.
The table is now setup by one of the turnbuckles. Flair spears Lynch for a two count. Michael Cole has no voice left. Flair tries to spear both Lynch and Rousey through the table but ends up going through herself. Lynch and Rousey square up in the ring and the crowd pops big.
Rousey goes for a Piper's Pit slam but Lynch counters into a crucifix pin for the three count. Becky Lynch wins both the SmackDown and Raw Women's Championships. After the match, it was reported Ronda Rousey broke her hand during the bout.
Rating: 3.75 stars. Excellent opening and middle, but the match's ending came out of nowhere. Just as it felt like we were going to get a satisfying ending segment the match ended. The fluke win over Rousey will likely lead to a future rematch, but it was a weak ending to a Wrestlemania main event.
Becky Lynch wins all the gold.
WWE
Finn Balor defeats Bobby Lashley
When Finn Balor first unveiled his Demon Finn alter ego in NXT back in 2014, the first thing that came to my mind was "wow, imagine what a Demon Finn entrance at Wrestlemania would be like." Today is that day.
Hello, Demon Finn.
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Balor starts with a spinning wheel kick, a scissor kick and a shotgun dropkick. Kicks galore from Demon Balor. Lashley comes back with a slam and a suplex. Lashley sends him outside. Balor hits a slingblade and a shotgun dropkick into the barricade. Lashley spears Balor out of the ring, then hits another one in the center of the ring. Two count.
Balor powers up, hits a powerbomb on Lashley and a Coup de Grace. We have a new Intercontinental Champion.
Rating: 2.5 stars. Lashley' spear was spectacular, and Balor's powerbomb was impressive. It was a short match though, and the crowd at this point only cares about the main event.
Kurt Angle loses to Baron Corbin, retires
Baron Corbin, Kurt Angle's opponent, comes out first. People aren't keen. Fans hoped Corbin would get a last-minute replacement, but it doesn't appear to be happening.
Corbin hits Angle with some punches and generally whales on him. Angle mounts a comeback, hits a three German suplexes. Angle gets him in an ankle lock but Corbin powers out. Corbin hits him with a Deep Six slam. Angle hits an Olympic Slam for a two count. Angle takes off his straps and puts Corbin in the Ankle Lock. Corbin powers out again.
Kurt Angle farewells his last Wrestlemania crowd.
WWE
Corbin gives Angle a "you can't see me" taunt. Angle goes in for more german suplexes. Crowd wakes up and cheers for Angle. Angle goes for a reverse moonsault but Corbin moves out of the way. Corbin hits an End of Days to win the match. The MetLife Stadium collectively shakes its head.
After the match Angle gets on the mic and asks the crowd to walk him out by chanting "You suck." The best and worst of WWE in this match.
Rating: 2 stars. No one wanted this.
Triple H defeats Batista
Shawn Michaels is out for what is being touted as potentially Triple H's last match. Two SUVs come out carrying Batista and his entourage. Batista is so great. Physique wise he looks the same as he did five years ago which, at 50-years-old, is impressive. He trips while stepping through the ropes. Not a good omen. Kumail Nanjiani, of Silicon Valley fame, is at ringside.
Triple H's entrance is Mad Max: Fury Road-themed. He comes out on the back of what can only be described as a death mobile. It's time to play the game.
Triple H on his death mobile.
WWE
The two are outside within seconds. This is a no-holds-barred match, meaning anything goes. Triple H finds a toolbox with a thick chain in it and promptly whips Batista. Nice and easy start. Triple H brings out a pincer tool and crushes Batista's fingers with it. If Saw was PG-14 and set in a wrestling promotion, this would be it.
Triple H throws Batista in the ring and hits him with a chair. Then he tears Batista's nose ring out with pliers. This is actually pretty gross. At the very least, you can't say Batista isn't dedicated to showbiz. Batista eventually gets some offense in, slamming Triple H twice on one of the announcer's tables. Batista throws Triple H into the barricade three times. Crowd is tired.
Batista throws Triple H around the ring a few times. Triple H rolls out and Batista hits him with the steel stairs. Batista puts the steps on top of one of the announcers' tables. Batista goes for a Batista Bomb, but Triple H counters with a back body drop onto what is possibly the most reinforced announcers' table of all time. Triple H gives Batista ye' ol' crotch chop and spears him through a third announce table.
Batista goes in the ring and Triple H brings out his sledgehammer. Good times ahead. Triple H goes for a hammer shot but Batista hits him with a spear. Batista takes the hammer and goes for a shot, Triple H kicks him and takes the hammer. Triple H goes for a hammer shot but Batista counters with a spinebuster. Batista hits a Batista Bomb for a terrific near fall.
Batista brings the steel steps into the ring. Triple H gets the upper hand and powerbombs Batista into the steps and then hits a Pedigree. Two count.
Ric Flair, who Batista attacked in the lead up to this match, appears. He slips a sledgehammer to Triple H and distracts Batista. Triple H hits Batista with the hammer, Pedigree and 1-2-3.
Rating: 3.75 stars. Lots of tricks here. Chairs, tables, sledgehammers, nose rings. The match was hurt by a tired crowd, but still great. This was a memorable way for Batista to go out.
If you're going to hit someone with a sledgehammer, do it with style.
WWE
John Cena, PhD, returns
It's now time for Elias to do whatever it is Elias does. There's an Elias in the ring playing guitar with two titantron Elias'. Amazingly, the crowd cheers. The real, in-ring Elias plays a riff from 7 Nation Army. Elias says WWE stands for Walk With Elias. The crowd is with him. This is all setting up a spectacular beat down, surely.
It's like 2003 again, and we're OK with that.
WWE
And spectacular it is. He's interrupted by the Doctor of Thuganomics, 2003 John Cena, Cena is wearing a Yankees jersey and has his Word Life knuckle busters. This is awesome. Cena, wearing a pair of Reebok sneakers he must have kept in a safe somewhere, gives a "freestyle" rap. It was also awesome. Worth the price of admission alone.
Roman Reigns defeats Drew McIntyre
Scottish drummers are here to play in Drew McIntyre. These two could have a great match but will have to contend with a crowd who just hit a high during #KofiMania. Reigns' music hits to cheers. This is his first Wrestlemania not in the main event since Wrestlemania XXX.
Announcer Corey Graves says Reigns, who just returned from leukemia, is fighting for anyone who has ever been seriously sick. Reigns and McIntyre exchange hard-hitting strikes before the latter hits a spinebuster. McIntyre beats on Reigns. They end up on the outside. Reigns misses a drive-by dropkick. Back in the ring, McIntyre hits a reverse Alabama Slam.
The crowd is into the match but is showing signs of exhaustion now that we're three hours into the main show, and it's been five hours since the preshow started. McIntyre slaps Reigns which kicks Reigns into berserk mode. Reigns hits a drive-by dropkick on the outside and then a Samoan drop.
Reigns hits a Superman Punch and sets up a spear. He hits it and gets the three count.
Roman Reigns wins his Wrestlemania return.
WWE
Rating: 2.75 stars. Nothing wrong with the match, but the crowd is tired and the ending was anticlimactic.
Samoa Joe retains the United States Championship
The United States Championship is on the line. Rey Mysterio comes out as Mysterio from Spider-Man.
The two come in hot, with Joe hitting Mysterio with a big boot. Mysterio hurricanranas Joe into the ropes and hits a 619. Joe counters a splash into a rear-naked choke. Samoa Joe retains.
Rating: No rating. This one was too short to really count as a match. They'll likely have a great rematch on SmackDown or at the next pay-per-view.
Kofi Kingston wins the WWE Championship
It's time for one of the biggest, most anticipated matches of the night. Wrestlemania, don't you dare be sour...
Crowd is very up on Kingston and very down on Bryan. This is the hottest the crowd has been all night. The two start with chain wrestling before Bryan retreats. Some more back and forth action ends with Kingston in a painful-looking surfboard submission.
Bryan ends up outside. Kingston does a springboard dive, but Bryan moves out of the way. Kingston crashes into the announce table and potentially kills himself.
Kofi Kingston nearly kills himself.
WWE
Bryan works over Kingston's back, including a flying knee from the top rope to a hanging-on-the-top-rope Kingston. Bryan hits running dropkicks on Kingston. Kingston tries to counter with a dropkick of his own, but Bryan does an awesome counter into a Boston Crab.
Kingston starts mounting a comeback and the crowd is hype. Kingston hits a great top-rope splash on Bryan as Bryan is trying to stand up. Crowd is getting even more hype. Kingston goes for a Trouble in Paradise, Bryan tries to counter into another Boston Crab but Kingston rolls out and cradles Bryan. They exchange more cradles and Bryan tries and fails to lock in the Labelle Lock. This is easily the match of the night so far.
Bryan sets up his Busaiko Knee but Kingston turns it into an SOS DDT, which Bryan then counters into a Labelle Lock. Kingston reaches the ropes, to a huge pop from the crowd. Bryan hits his Gatling kicks, Kingston hulks up. The crowd is buck wild. Kingston hits a reverse DDT for a two count.
The New Day brawl with Rowan on the outside. Bryan goes for a dive on all three but Kingston hits him with a punch and sets up the Trouble in Paradise. Bryan ducks and hits his Busaiko Knee for a two count. Bryan stomps on Kingston's face and puts him in the Labelle Lock.
Kingston escapes and gives Bryan the same face stomps Bryan gave him moments ago. Kingston hits the Trouble in Paradise and gets the one-two-three.
Rating: 4.5stars. The best WWE Championship match at Wrestlemania since Brock Lesnar versus Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31. Awesome, awesome match.
#KofiMania
WWE
The IIconics win the Women's Tag Team Championships
Paige, of Fighting With Your Family fame, is out as guest commentator here. The Boss 'n' Hug Connection, still the worst-named tag team in wrestling today, take on The IIconics, Nia Jax and Tamina, and Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Beth and Natalya get walked down the ring by Bret Hart in a cute moment.
Bayley and Tamina start off. A few neat spots early but the match settles into a rhythm. Natalya locks in a double sharpshooter on the Boss 'n' Hug Connection at the same time, but Tamina levels her and then the brutes Tamina and Jax dominate like two bears versus a group of puppies.
Jax and Tamina take to the top turnbuckles to try and drop a mammoth double splash but Phoenix takes out Jax in the nick of time. Phoenix sets up Bayley for the Glam Slam from the top rope but the IIconics sneak in for a win. We have new champions, guys.
Rating:3stars. Enjoyed some of the big spots in this match and a real good showing from Phoenix in her return match, including the huge Glam Slam. Clever finish to lift the IIconics above their middling status, even though they entered dressed like they were going to a high school costume party. Happy times for the WWE Universe.
Shane McMahon defeats The Miz
The Hall of Fame class of 2019 come out for their bows. DX get their own entrance. Shane O'Mac's match is up next.
Shane comes out first and makes announcer Greg Hamilton introduce him as "The Best in the World" multiple times. The match starts with chicanery, as Shane goes outside to accost Miz's dad. Notoriously stiff Shane pummels Miz with some painful looking boxing potatoes. Miz starts bleeding.
The match quickly goes awry as Shane lays Miz on the announcer's table to set up his flying elbow. Miz's dad comes out of nowhere to protect his son. The Miz's father enters the ring. The crowd likes it. Shane starts beating on Miz's dad, then Miz comes in and takes down Shane.
They brawl outside before Miz goes back to the ring to check on his dad, who is down and out. Miz's dad is now a wrestling meme.
Miz goes back into the crowd to brawl with Shane. This is a Fall's Count Anywhere match, for those who forgot (me). Miz hits Shane with a chair shot, puts him through a table and then strikes him with... the roof of a golf cart. They're in the crowd though, so most of the crowd can't see them properly.
Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on a camera stand for a two count. Shane then climbs up the structure, which Miz then suplexes him off. They crash through what's obviously a padded mat area. The two are knocked out, but Shane is on top of Miz, technically a pin, and gets the three count. Lame.
Rating:2 stars. Miz's dad was the highlight here. Some OK brawling, although the golf cart roof was a nice touch, and an underwhelming finishing sequence, considering what Shane is here for.
The Usos retain SmackDown Tag Team Championships
We get a Lacey Evans walkout before The Usos come out for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match. They'll defend against The Bar, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev, and the team of Aleister Black and Ricochet.
Crowd is noticeably quieter for this one, but the action is good. With four teams and two people in the ring at any time, it's also too fast to recap.
Crowd comes alive when Ricochet enters the ring and works his magic with Cesaro. Cesaro does his Cesaro Swing on Ricochet as Sheamus clubs... everyone. Awesome moment. Cesaro puts Ricochet in a sharpshooter, but one of the Usos breaks it up with a superkick.
Black and Rusev end up the legal men. Black kicks the hell out of Rusev. Black is awesome. I wonder if we could be friends. Probably not. He tags out Ricochet, who I probably couldn't be friends with either. Rusev hits a swinging slam. All eight guys end up on the turnbuckle for an eight-person superplex spot. Ricochet hits a 630 on Sheamus, goes for the pin but it gets broken up by multiple guys.
Ricochet's 630. Beautiful.
WWE
The eight guys trade finisher moves. Good stuff. Usos hit stereo splashes on Sheamus to retain.
Rating: 4 stars. The crowd started soft but ended loud. Lots of great action in this match. It was a spotfest for sure, but a fun one.
AJ Styles defeats Randy Orton
Jerry "The King" Lawler is out to commentate the next match. It's AJ Styles versus Randy Orton. This could be a great one.
Chain wrestling to open the match. Orton goes for an RKO, AJ avoids. Crowd is hot on AJ, but there are some solid Orton chants too. Orton works on AJ's legs, but AJ mounts a small comeback with a beautiful dropkick. Orton rolls out the ring, AJ hits him with an over-the-top-rope forearm. After some outside action Orton rolls AJ in for your first headlock of the night.
Some back and forth action, including an Orton powerslam. Standard Orton pace here, slowing things down after the frenetic opener. AJ locks in a calf crusher in the center of the ring, but Orton gets the ropes. He's a long-limbed man. Orton fights out but is selling his knee. Styles fakes a Phenomenal Forearm, leading to Orton going for an RKO and falling on his back. AJ hits a springboard 450 for a two count. Cool spot.
After some more back and forth, Orton hits the best superplex I've seen in years. A European uppercut then knocks AJ out of the ring. AJ's selling is on point tonight. Orton sets up an RKO, AJ counters with an enziguri but then Orton actually does hit an RKO. Two count.
Orton goes for a top-rope RKO. AJ sneaks out from underneath, hits a Pelé kick and Orton rolls out the ring. AJ hits a phenomenal forearm on the outside. He rolls Orton in, lands another phenomenal forearm for the win.
Rating: 3.5 stars. Well wrestled. What you expected it would be, but not what it could be.
Seth Rollins defeats Brock Lesnar
The two get into a brawl before the match starts. Lesnar hits an F-5 on Rollins outside the ring and generally wrecks shop. Lesnar brings Rollins in the ring and demands the ref start the match. Before the ref can, Lesnar throws Rollins back outside. Lesnar logic.
The Beast is your first Wrestlemania surprise.
WWE
The ref rings the bell. Lesnar hits a few german suplexes and goes for another F-5. Rollins counters and the ref gets knocked down in the process. Rollins hits a low blow and then a curb stomp. Then another. Then another.
Three curb stomps lays out The Beast for a three count. Rollins wins the Universal Championship clean.
Rating: 3 stars. Hot segment to start the show but not much of a match. You can never be sure with Lesnar, but the way this bout went makes it seem like he's headed for UFC.
The show starts with a major title change.
WWE
Alexa Bliss, the official host for the night, opens the show. She says she can create a Wrestlemania moment with a snap of her fingers. She snaps her fingers and out comes Hulk Hogan. It's like Wrestlemania XXX all over again -- but without The Rock or Steve Austin.
Hulk's back.
WWE
As Hogan and Bliss are flexing, out comes Paul Heyman. If Brock Lesnar isn't on last, Heyman says, he's on first. There's your first Wrestlemania shock.
Preshow results
Wrestlemania's two-hour preshow had four matches, one of which crowned new champions. Here are the quick results.
Andre The Giant Men's Battle Royal: Braun Strowman wins by last eliminating SNL's Colin Jost.
Raw Tag Team Championship match, The Revival versus Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins: Curt Hawkins breaks his 269-match long losing streak as he and Ryder become Raw tag team champs.
Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal: Carmella wins by superkicking Sarah Logan out of the ring.
Cruiserweight Championship match, Buddy Murphy versus Tony Nese: The cruiserweights kick off Wrestlemania in a match that saw Tony Nese dethrone Murphy and become the new cruiserweight champion.